Anti-rheumatic treatment is not associated with reduction of pentraxin 3 in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis

• Published in: PloS one 2017-02, Vol.12 (2), p.e0169830-e0169830
• Main Authors: Deyab, Gia, Hokstad, Ingrid, Whist, Jon Elling, Småstuen, Milada Cvancarova, Agewall, Stefan, Lyberg, Torstein, Bottazzi, Barbara, Meroni, Pier Luigi, Leone, Roberto, Hjeltnes, Gunnbjorg, Hollan, Ivana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analysis; Angina pectoris; Ankylosing spondylitis; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; Arthritis; Arthritis, Psoriatic - blood; Arthritis, Psoriatic - drug therapy; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - blood; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Atherosclerosis; Biochemistry; Bioindicators; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Cardiovascular diseases; Care and treatment; Cytokines; Dosage and administration; Drug Therapy, Combination; Drugs; Female; Health risks; Heart attacks; Hospitals; Humans; Inflammation; Inflammation - blood; Internal medicine; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methotrexate; Methotrexate - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Patients; Pentraxins; Psoriasis; Psoriatic arthritis; Rheumatic diseases; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatoid factor; Serum Amyloid P-Component - metabolism; Spondylitis; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - blood; Spondylitis, Ankylosing - drug therapy; Therapy; Treatment Outcome; Tumor necrosis factor; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - antagonists & inhibitors; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor necrosis factor-α
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169830

Pentraxin 3 is proposed to be a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular risk, but its role in inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) is still uncertain. Therefore, we wanted to examine if anti-rheumatic treatment reduced serum PTX3 (s-PTX3) levels in IRDs, and if s-PTX3 levels were related to other markers of inflammation and to endothelial function (EF). We examined s-PTX3, EF and established inflammatory biomarkers in 114 IRD patients from the PSARA study before and after 6 weeks and 6 months of treatment with methotrexate (MTX) or anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) therapy with or without MTX co-medication. s-PTX3 levels in all IRD diagnoses were above the upper limit of the reference range. In contrast to established inflammatory markers, in particular CRP and ESR, s-PTX3 levels did not change significantly after 6 weeks and 6 months of anti-rheumatic therapy. There was no difference in change in s-PTX3 levels from baseline to 6 weeks and 6 months between MTX monotherapy and anti-TNF regimens. CRP, ESR and EF were not related to changes in s-PTX3 neither in crude nor adjusted analyses. IRD patients have increased s-PTX3 levels, which, in contrast to other inflammatory markers, do not seem to improve within 6 months of therapy with MTX and/or anti-TNF. Thus, s-PTX3 might reflect a persisting immune process, even a causal factor of inflammation, not inhibited by the standard anti-rheumatic treatment. Furthermore, even though s-PTX3 is thought to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular prognosis, it was not related to EF.