Fig. 3
From: Inhibition of angiogenesis by platelets in systemic sclerosis patients
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) platelets secrete higher amounts of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, CD40L, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β cytokines. Basal and postcollagen proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α (a) and CD40L (b) profibrotic cytokines CTGF and TGF-β were determined in platelet supernatants of patients with SSc and healthy control subjects. We observed higher levels of CD40L and TGF-β in SSc platelets before collagen activation. *p < 0.01, t test