Increased levels of thymosin β4 in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: association of thymosin β4 with other factors that are involved in inflammation and bone erosion in joints
Aim: Thymosin (Tβ4) may have various biological effects that are relevant to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was performed to gain insight into the relevance of Tβ4 in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis. Method: The level of Tβ4 in synovial fluid from patients wit...
Saved in:
Published in | International journal of rheumatic diseases Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 320 - 324 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.10.2011
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Aim: Thymosin (Tβ4) may have various biological effects that are relevant to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was performed to gain insight into the relevance of Tβ4 in the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis.
Method: The level of Tβ4 in synovial fluid from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) or RA was measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. An association between Tβ4 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐1 and MMP‐13 (collagenases), MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 (gelatinases), MMP‐7, adiponectin, lactoferrin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), urokinase‐type plasminogen activator (uPA), interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in synovial joint fluids from OA and RA patients were investigated.
Results: The level of Tβ4 in the synovial joint fluid of patients with OA and RA was (mean ± SD) 145 ± 88 and 1359 ± 1685 ng/mL, respectively. The level of Tβ4 in the synovial joint fluid of RA patients was significantly associated with the levels of MMP‐9, MMP‐13, VEGF, uPA, IL‐6 and IL‐8, but not with MMP‐1, MMP‐2, MMP‐7, adiponectin and lactoferrin. In contrast, the level of Tβ4 in the synovial joint fluid of patients with OA was not associated with any of these molecules.
Conclusions: The results suggest that Tβ4 may play an important role in bone degradation and inflammation in RA but not OA, although nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms mediating Tβ4 in arthritic joints. The role of Tβ4 in arthritis should be studied to understand its relevance to the pathogenic processes in arthritis. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | ark:/67375/WNG-TX81N1XJ-C istex:6346589B909061CF51F9E2A41DAE90020439400D ArticleID:APL1652 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1756-1841 1756-185X |
DOI: | 10.1111/j.1756-185X.2011.01652.x |