title: Association of enhanced superoxide generation by neutrophils with low superoxide scavenging activity of the peripheral blood, joint fluid, and their leukocyte components in rheumatoid arthritis: effects of slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs and disease activity.
abstract: To study the role of the superoxide radical (O2-) in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), both the O2- generation of peripheral blood (PB) polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) and the superoxide scavenging activity (SSA) of PB-PMN, plasma, joint fluid (JF) and PB- or JF-mononuclear cells (MNC) were measured in forty-five patients with RA using the highly sensitive and specific 2-methyl-6-methoxyphenyl-3,7-dihydroimidazo[1,2-alpha] pyrazin-3-one dependent chemiluminescence and the electron paramagnetic resonance/spin trapping methods, respectively. Since many drugs, particularly the slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs (SARDs) used in RA, may alter O2- metabolism, the effects of SARDs on SSA were also studied. The basal O2- release and opsonized zymosan- or phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated O2- generation by PB-PMN from RA patients were significantly increased, while the SSA of PMN was decreased as compared to those from healthy controls. In addition, the SSA of PMN showed a negative correlation with their O2- generation rates. The JF-PMN showed lower SSA levels than PB-PMN. A negative correlation was also found between the SSA of the plasma and the erythrocyte sedimentation rates. The SSA of the plasma, PB-PMN, JF and JF-PMN were significantly higher in patients treated with SARDs than those without. In cell-free systems, sulfasalazine (SAP) and its metabolite, 5-amino-salicylic acid, had a direct SSA within a millimolar range. The other metabolites of SASP and D-penicillamine had an indirect SSA, since they affected the O2- generating system. Auranofin and bucillamine had no SSA. However, none of the SARDs examined could scavenge O2- at concentrations reported in patients' plasma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa-ken, Japan.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prónai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ichimori
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arimori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D013481:Superoxides