Antirheumatic therapy is associated with reduced complement activation in rheumatoid arthritis.

Autor: Thao H P Nguyen, Ingrid Hokstad, Morten Wang Fagerland, Tom Eirik Mollnes, Ivana Hollan, Mark W Feinberg, Gunnbjørg Hjeltnes, Gro Ø Eilertsen, Knut Mikkelsen, Stefan Agewall
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS ONE, Vol 17, Iss 2, p e0264628 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264628
Popis: BackgroundThe complement system plays an important role in pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and might be involved in accelerated atherogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The role of complement activation in response to treatment, and in development of premature CVD in RA, is limited. Therefore, we examined the effects of methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) on complement activation using soluble terminal complement complex (TCC) levels in RA; and assessed associations between TCC and inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarkers.MethodsWe assessed 64 RA patients starting with MTX monotherapy (n = 34) or TNFi with or without MTX co-medication (TNFi±MTX, n = 30). ELISA was used to measure TCC in EDTA plasma. The patients were examined at baseline, after 6 weeks and 6 months of treatment.ResultsMedian TCC was 1.10 CAU/mL, and 57 (89%) patients had TCC above the estimated upper reference limit (ConclusionsPatients with active RA had elevated TCC, indicating increased complement activation. TCC decreased with antirheumatic treatment already after 6 weeks. However, only treatment with TNFi±MTX led to sustained reduction in TCC during the 6-month follow-up period. RA patients with endothelial dysfunction had higher baseline TCC compared to those without, possibly reflecting involvement of complement in the atherosclerotic process in RA.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje