title: Anti-rheumatic treatment is not associated with reduction of pentraxin 3 in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pentraxin 3 is proposed to be a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular risk, but its role in inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) is still uncertain. Therefore, we wanted to examine if anti-rheumatic treatment reduced serum PTX3 (s-PTX3) levels in IRDs, and if s-PTX3 levels were related to other markers of inflammation and to endothelial function (EF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined s-PTX3, EF and established inflammatory biomarkers in 114 IRD patients from the PSARA study before and after 6 weeks and 6 months of treatment with methotrexate (MTX) or anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) therapy with or without MTX co-medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  s-PTX3 levels in all IRD diagnoses were above the upper limit of the reference range. In contrast to established inflammatory markers, in particular CRP and ESR, s-PTX3 levels did not change significantly after 6 weeks and 6 months of anti-rheumatic therapy. There was no difference in change in s-PTX3 levels from baseline to 6 weeks and 6 months between MTX monotherapy and anti-TNF regimens. CRP, ESR and EF were not related to changes in s-PTX3 neither in crude nor adjusted analyses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IRD patients have increased s-PTX3 levels, which, in contrast to other inflammatory markers, do not seem to improve within 6 months of therapy with MTX and/or anti-TNF. Thus, s-PTX3 might reflect a persisting immune process, even a causal factor of inflammation, not inhibited by the standard anti-rheumatic treatment. Furthermore, even though s-PTX3 is thought to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular prognosis, it was not related to EF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.
authors.forename: Gia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deyab
authors.affiliation: Lillehammer Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Lillehammer, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hokstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.|Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway.
authors.forename: Jon Elling
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Whist
authors.affiliation: Institution of health care-Health science PhD programme, Oslo and Akershus University College, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Milada Cvancarova
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Småstuen
authors.affiliation: Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål, Oslo, Norway.|Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agewall
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Torstein
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lyberg
authors.affiliation: Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bottazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.|IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.|ASST G Pini, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Luigi
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Meroni
authors.affiliation: Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.
authors.forename: Gunnbjorg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hjeltnes
authors.affiliation: Lillehammer Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Lillehammer, Norway.|Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway.|Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, United States of America.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hollan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000378:metabolism*; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D008727:Methotrexate; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000099153:Pentraxins