title: Nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with TNF-alpha blockers.
abstract: Twenty consecutive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (mean age 50.4 +/- 10.5 years; 17 females; mean disease duration 5.78 +/- 3.75 years) enrolled for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) blockers therapy (10 infliximab and 10 etanercept) were selected. Before starting therapy, 3 and 6 months thereafter all patients were evaluated for disease activity score (DAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nerve growth factor (NGF), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). After 3 and 6 months a significant reduction in DAS, ESR, CRP, and IL-6 was observed, whereas no significant differences of NGF and BDNF serum levels were found. These preliminary results confirm that TNF-alpha blockers significantly improve disease activity and inflammation in RA; nevertheless further studies are needed to explain the mechanisms regulating NGF and BDNF release in RA patients treated with TNF-alpha blockers.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra e U.O.C di Allergologia, Immunologia Clinica e Reumatologia, II Facoltà di Medicina e. Chirurgia, Università La Sapienza, Ospedale Sant'Andrea, Via di Grottarossa 1035-1039, 00189 Roma, Italy. flavia.delporto@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: del Porto
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aloe
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laganà
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Triaca
authors.forename: Italo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nofroni
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: D'Amelio
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D000069285:Infliximab; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D000069285:Infliximab; D000068800:Etanercept