Ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis: serum levels of TNF-α and Its soluble receptors during the course of therapy with etanercept and infliximab.
The effects of the TNF- α blockers infliximab or etanercept on the levels of TNF- α , TNF-receptor 1 (TNF-R1), and TNF-receptor 2 (TNF-R2), as well as the levels of the inflammation markers CRP and IL-6, were measured in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving treatment with either compound. We found that RA patients tend to have higher levels of TNF- α than both healthy individuals and AS patients prior to treatment (P < 0.05). We measured greatly increased levels of TNF- α in both the AS and RA etanercept patient groups during the course of treatment, while in the infliximab treated patients, the amount of TNF- α measured remained unchanged. Elevated TNF- α in the etanercept treated patients does not appear to be a significant risk factor for the spontaneous development of further autoimmune diseases in our study group. Increased levels of TNF-R1 were determined in both AS (P < 0.05) and RA (P < 0.001) patients when compared to healthy controls. In AS patients, the levels of TNF-R1 dropped significantly when treated with either infliximab (P < 0.01) or etanercept (P < 0.001). In contrast, the levels of this receptor remained unchanged in RA patients treated with either compound.
BIOMEDRO Ltd, Genetic Institute of the Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58-62, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Martin
0000-0002-0035-7443
M
Schulz
BIOMEDRO Ltd, Genetic Institute of the Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58-62, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Helmut
0000-0002-5963-6957
H
Dotzlaw
Rheumazentrum Prof. Dr. med. Gunther Neeck, Goethestraße 40, 18209 Bad Doberan, Germany.
Gunther
0000-0001-8162-0153
G
Neeck
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D000068800:Etanercept; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000069285:Infliximab; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I / Q000097:blood*; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II / Q000097:blood; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015850:Interleukin-6; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000069285:Infliximab; D000068800:Etanercept