Up regulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression in anti-citrulline antibody and immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor positive subjects precedes onset of inflammatory response and development of overt rheumatoid arthritis

• Published in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases Vol. 66; no. 1; pp. 121 - 123
• Main Authors: Rantapää-Dahlqvist, S, Boman, K, Tarkowski, A, Hallmans, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism 01.01.2007; BMJ; Elsevier Limited; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Arthritis; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - blood; Autoantibodies - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Markers/blood; Biomarkers - blood; Blood Donors; C reactive protein; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Case-Control Studies; CCP; Chemokine CCL2 - blood; Chi-Square Distribution; Citrulline - immunology; Concise Report; CRP; cyclic citrullinated peptide; Disease Progression; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; high-sensitivity C reactive protein; hsCRP; Humans; IgM-RF; Immunoglobulin M - blood; immunoglobulin M-rheumatoid factor; Immunoglobulins; Inflammatory joint diseases; Male; MCP; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; monocyte chemoattractant protein; Rheumatism; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatoid Factor - blood; Rheumatoid/blood; secretory phospholipase; Severity of Illness Index; sPL; Time Factors; Up-Regulation; Sweden; Human; Immunopathology; Rheumatoid factor; Chronic; Immunoglobulins; Monocyte; Antibody; Rheumatoid arthritis; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Autoimmune disease; Inflammatory joint disease; Citrulline; Rheumatoid/blood; Arthritis
• ISSN: 0003-4967; 1468-2060; 1468-2060
• DOI: 10.1136/ard.2006.057331

Objective: To analyse the inflammatory mediators, including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), in blood samples donated years before onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Previously, it has been shown in these individuals that antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) detectable years before the onset of symptoms have a high predictive value for development of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: A nested case–control study was performed: patients with rheumatoid arthritis were identified from among blood donors antedating onset by a median of three years (pre-patients, n = 92); four matched controls were selected randomly for each pre-patient. Plasma were analysed for secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) and MCP-1 using ELISA, for high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) using the chemiluminescence method and for interleukin-6 using a sensitive bioassay. Results: When the results were stratified for the presence of anti-CCP antibodies and immunoglobulin M-rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF), only MCP-1 levels were found to be significantly raised in patients with anti-CCP and IgM-RF compared with controls. Conclusion: Levels of MCP-1 were significantly increased in the plasma of patients having anti-CCP antibodies or IgM-RF and who later developed rheumatoid arthritis. These findings indicate up regulation of chemotactic activity for leucocytes before the development of rheumatoid arthritis.