Elevated serum concentrations of the chemokine RANTES in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation of serum concentrations of chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica at disease diagnosis and during a six-month period of corticosteroid treatment.


METHODS
Sera were obtained from patients at the time of PMR diagnosis and subsequently after one week, two weeks, one month, three months and six months. At each time point a clinical and laboratory evaluation was performed. Serum concentrations of IL-8, GRO alpha, RANTES, MCP-1, and MIP1 alpha were evaluated by commercial ELISA kits.


RESULTS
Only RANTES serum levels were significantly higher in PMR patients than in controls. No correlation was found between RANTES concentrations and laboratory and clinical features. Chemokine levels reached their lowest level after one month of steroid treatment and remained in the normal range thereafter.


CONCLUSIONS
The production of RANTES is enhanced in untreated PMR patients; corticosteroid treatment results in a normalization of chemokine levels.
Pulsatelli
L
L
Laboratorio di Immunologia e Genetica, Istituto Codivilla Putti, IOR, Bologna, Italy.
Meliconi
R
R
Boiardi
L
L
Macchioni
P
P
Salvarani
C
C
Facchini
A
A
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000368:Aged; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood*; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000097:blood; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; C475829:CXCL1 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D006133:Growth Substances; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016209:Interleukin-8