Extracellular DNA level as an indicator of the activity of inflammatory reactions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and asthma

Abstract

A clinical and laboratory examination of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and bronchial asthma was performed. The choice of nosologies was made to study changes in extracellular DNA (cfDNA) in the blood during immunopathological processes, based on generally accepted views on the role of helper balance in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The severity of disease manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis depends mainly on the severity of inflammatory changes in the joints and, therefore, is closely associated with a shift in the balance of helpers towards the Th1. According to today’s concepts the pathogenesis of asthma is determined by the intensive production of specific antibodies, which is controlled by activated Th2 lymphocytes. Patients have been indicators of the activity of neutrophil granulocytes and their ability to netosis were determined in addition to measuring standard laboratory indicators. The aim was to compare these parameters with changes in the level of extracellular DNA in pathological conditions depending on fluctuations in the Th1/Th2 balance. It has been shown that a significant difference between the studied immunopathological conditions is a significant decrease in the level of cfDNA in the blood plasma in patients with asthma, which sharply contrasts with its increase in arthritis. Laboratory parameters confirm the presence of local inflammation in patients with asthma in the absence of obvious symptoms of a systemic inflammatory response, while in patients with arthritis, inflammatory changes in the joints are accompanied by an increase in level of C-reactive protein, indicating a systemic reaction of the body in response to inflammatory stimuli. Thus, it can be assumed that the state of Th1/Th2 balance is one of the significant regulators that determines the concentration of cfDNA in the blood. According to the proposed hypothesis the shift in this ratio towards the predominance of Th1 cells should promote the development of inflammatory processes in the body and increase the amount of cfDNA, while a shift in the balance of helpers towards the dominance of Th2 lymphocytes should suppress these processes and lead to a decrease in cfDNA in the blood.