Elevated levels of neopterin and pentraxin 3 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Objectives As a systemic inflammatory disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory arthritis in the population and there is no specific diagnostic marker in laboratory tests. The purpose of the study was to determine whether serum neopterin and pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels may be a marker of increased inflammation in RA patients. Materials and methods The study were consist of 30 RA patients and 30 healthy controls who were admitted to the department of rheumatology. Blood specimens were taken from both group, and the levels of neopterin were analyzed by chromatography method (HPLC) and the PTX 3 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All data and demographic characteristics of participants were also recorded. Results Serum neopterin and PTX 3 levels of the patient group (25.99 ± 7.24 ng/mL and 4.19 ± 1.01 ng/dL, respectively) was higher than the control group (9.55 ± 0.74 ng/mL and 2.23 ± 0.39 ng/dL, respectively). These results were remarkable significant (p<0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between age-PTX 3, age-neopterin and PTX 3-neopterin parameters in the patient group. In the control group, a significant negative correlation was found between age and PTX 3 (p<0.05), and a positive correlation between neopterin and PTX 3. Conclusions Consequently, the serum neopterin and PTX 3 levels were higher in RA patients as compared to the healthy individuals. Our study suggest that there is a relation between neopterin and PTX 3 levels with RA patients. These findings suggest that neopterin and PTX 3 are important markers in the monitoring of RA disease.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of neopterin in rheumatic diseases

“…Thirty studies (34 study groups) reported serum or plasma neopterin concentrations in a total of 2,618 RD patients (mean age 43 years, 32% males) and 5,318 healthy controls (mean age 42 years, 47% males) ( 55 , 59 , 61 , 64 – 67 , 69 – 87 , 89 , 90 ).…”

“…Twenty studies were conducted in Asia ( 55 , 59 , 65 , 66 , 69 , 70 , 72 – 74 , 77 , 78 , 80 – 82 , 84 – 89 ), six in Europe ( 61 , 62 , 64 , 67 , 79 , 90 ), three in Africa ( 71 , 75 , 83 ), and the remaining one in America ( 76 ). Ten study groups included patients with RA ( 55 , 76 , 78 – 81 , 83 , 86 , 89 , 90 ), nine with SLE ( 55 , 65 , 70 , 71 , 75 – 77 , 82 , 84 ), eight with BD ( 59 , 65 , 66 , 69 , 72 – 74 , 87 ), three with IIM ( 62 , 88 ), two with pSS ( 64 , 67 ), one with SSc ( 61 ), and one with AS ( 85 ). The analytical methods used for measuring neopterin included an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 18 studies ( 61 , 64 – 67 , 69 – 71 , 74 – 76 , 78 , 79 , 81 , 85 , 86 ,...…”

“…Ten study groups included patients with RA ( 55 , 76 , 78 – 81 , 83 , 86 , 89 , 90 ), nine with SLE ( 55 , 65 , 70 , 71 , 75 – 77 , 82 , 84 ), eight with BD ( 59 , 65 , 66 , 69 , 72 – 74 , 87 ), three with IIM ( 62 , 88 ), two with pSS ( 64 , 67 ), one with SSc ( 61 ), and one with AS ( 85 ). The analytical methods used for measuring neopterin included an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 18 studies ( 61 , 64 – 67 , 69 – 71 , 74 – 76 , 78 , 79 , 81 , 85 , 86 , 88 , 90 ), liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection in 10 ( 55 , 72 , 73 , 77 , 80 , 82 – 84 , 87 , 89 ), and radioimmunoassay in two ( 59 , 62 ). Serum was analysed in 26 studies ( 55 , 59 , 61 , 62 , 64 – 67 , 69 – 74 , 76 – 78 , 81 …”

“…The risk of bias was low in 14 studies ( 61 , 69 , 75 – 77 , 79 , 81 , 82 , 84 , 85 , 87 – 90 ), and moderate in the remaining 16 ( 55 , 59 , 62 , 64 – 67 , 70 – 74 , 78 , 80 , 83 , 86 ) ( Supplementary Table 3 ). All studies had an initially low certainty of evidence given the cross-sectional design (rating 2, ⊕⊕⊝⊝) ( 55 , 59 , 61 , 64 – 67 , 69 – 87 , 89 , 90 ).…”

The Role of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Among the cytokines involved in lesion progression, TNF is most closely associated with RA pathogenesis, and its antagonists have been successfully used to treat the disease [ 63 ]. The most important cytokines secreted by macrophages include TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), CXC chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP), MMPs, and neopterin [ 64 , 65 , 66 ].…”