Molecular insights from skin biopsies: Deciphering microvascular pathology in peripheral vascular diseases

Table 1 Characteristics of the Selected Studies

Ref.	Study design	Sample size	Biopsy type	Molecular markers assessed	Key findings
Sakaguchi and Watari[3]	Case-control	45	Punch biopsy	VEGF, ICAM-1	Identified increased VEGF expression in ischemic tissues
Hess et al[9]	RCT	120	Incisional biopsy	VEGF, eNOS	Demonstrated reduced eNOS levels in diabetic vasculopathy
Subherwal et al[12]	Cohort study	85	Punch biopsy	ICAM-1, VCAM-1	Found upregulation of ICAM-1 in inflammatory PVDs
Gibbons et al[13]	Observational	60	Shave biopsy	Endothelin-1, NO	Showed endothelial dysfunction in systemic sclerosis
Torrens Cid et al[5]	Cross-sectional	78	Punch biopsy	VEGF, MCP-1	Highlighted microvascular damage in diabetic patients
Becker et al[1]	Case series	30	Incisional biopsy	TNF-α, eNOS	Reported inflammatory changes in vasculitic neuropathy
Magro et al[8]	RCT	110	Punch biopsy	VEGF, CD31	Confirmed vascular remodeling in ischemic ulcers
Soor et al[7]	Cohort study	95	Incisional biopsy	ICAM-1, NO	Demonstrated endothelial activation in atherosclerosis
Gonzalez et al[4]	Observational	40	Punch biopsy	TNF-α, VEGF	Found significant inflammatory markers in early-stage PVD
Santos-Gόmez et al[10]	Cross-sectional	50	Shave biopsy	VCAM-1, NO	Linked endothelial dysfunction to vascular stiffening
Narula et al[21]	Case-control	55	Punch biopsy	MCP-1, CD31	Showed correlation between microvascular changes and disease severity
De Gottardi et al[6]	Cohort study	70	Punch biopsy	VEGF, TNF-α	Noted increased inflammatory cytokines in systemic vasculitis
Dinsdale et al[22]	RCT	105	Incisional biopsy	NO, eNOS	Demonstrated NO reduction in diabetic microangiopathy
Vital et al[15]	Observational	65	Punch biopsy	ICAM-1, CD31	Highlighted endothelial activation in diabetic foot ulcers
Shivaprasad et al[19]	Cross-sectional	85	Shave biopsy	TNF-α, MCP-1	Found persistent inflammation in non-healing ischemic wounds
Nebuchennykh et al[17]	Case series	30	Punch biopsy	VEGF, eNOS	Identified altered angiogenesis in peripheral ischemia
Yozgatli et al[20]	Observational	48	Punch biopsy	VEGF, NO	Showed evidence of impaired vasodilation in chronic ischemic conditions

eNOS: Endothelial nitric oxide synthase; ICAM-1: Intercellular adhesion molecule 1; MCP-1: Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; NO: Nitric oxide; PVDs: Peripheral vascular diseases; RCT: Randomized controlled trial; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor alpha; VCAM-1: Vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.