Investigating the correlation of the NF-κB and FoxP3 gene expression with the plasma levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis patients
Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory systemic autoimmune disease. Cytokines regulate a wide range of inflammatory processes involved in RA pathogenesis. Anti-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TGF-β and lL-10) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-6, were found to be potenti...
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Published in | Clinical rheumatology Vol. 42; no. 5; pp. 1443 - 1450 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Cham
Springer International Publishing
01.05.2023
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Introduction
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory systemic autoimmune disease. Cytokines regulate a wide range of inflammatory processes involved in RA pathogenesis. Anti-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TGF-β and lL-10) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-6, were found to be potentially implicated in RA pathogenesis. Besides, NF-κB and FoxP3 are critical transcription factors regulating the inflammatory events occurring in RA patients. This study intends to assess the plasma levels of IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-β1 cytokines, as well as the expression of NF-κB and FoxP3 genes in RA patients, compared to the healthy controls.
Methods
Peripheral blood was collected from 50 RA patients (25 new case and 25 under-treatment) and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. The disease activity was determined using the DAS-28 and ESR criteria. Also, plasma levels of TGF-β1, lL-10, and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, and the gene expression of NF-κB and FoxP3 was evaluated using the real-time PCR method.
Results
Our results showed a significant up-regulation of Rel-A and NF-κB1, and also a down-regulation of FoxP3 gene expression in under-treatment RA patients compared to the controls (
P
=0.031,
P
=0.014, and
P
=0.011, respectively). Moreover, there was a significant reduction of Rel-A and FoxP3 in the under-treatment RA patients compared to new case RA patients (
P
=0.005 and
P
=0.015, respectively). Also, plasma levels of TGF-β1 were significantly increased in both the new case and under-treatment RA patients relative to controls (
P
<0.001).
Conclusion
In conclusion, classical NF-κB (P65/P50) and FoxP3 may have significant pro- and anti-inflammatory roles in RA pathogenesis, respectively.
Key Point
• NF-κB (P65/P50) has a contribution to the early phase of RA
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0770-3198 1434-9949 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10067-023-06521-y |