Relation of cytokine profile and antibody values to post-translational protein modifications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (preliminary data)

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between cytokine levels and values of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) and antibodies to carbamylated proteins (anti-CarP) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Materials and methods. 106 patients with a reliable diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis were included in the study. Determination of anti-CarP and anti-CCP was performed by enzyme immunoassay. Patients were divided into subgroups depending on the values of anti-CCP and anti-CarP. The concentration of 27 cytokines in serum was determined using multiplex xMAR technology. Results and discussion. When comparing immunological subgroups, anti-CCP(+) patients had higher concentrations of interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-1Ra, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, fibroblast growth factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (CSF), granulocyte-macrophage CSF, interferon (IFN) γ, IFN0γ-induced protein 10, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), transforming growth factor bb, tumor necrosis factor α and vascular endothelial growth factor. IL-5, IL-9, eotaxin, MIP-1β and RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted) values were higher in anti-CCP(–) patients. In the subgroup of anti-CCP(–) patients, an inverse correlation was found between IL-5 and total Sharpe score, between IL-9 and DAS28-CRP (Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein calculation). In anti-Carp(–) patients (n=73) higher values of IL-17 were recorded. Conclusion. Our data support the concept of RA heterogeneity, characterised by the existence of different clinical and immunological subtypes, which may have implications for improving personalised therapy.

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