Involvement of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in peripheral synovitis and down‐regulation by tumor necrosis factor α blockade in spondylarthropathy

Abstract

Inflammation and structural damage of the joint are 2 major hallmarks of autoimmune arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondylarthropathy (SpA). In RA, several pivotal mediators involved in disease mechanisms have been identified, including interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF␣) Dr. Rihl

Serum matrix metalloproteinase 3 is an independent predictor of structural damage progression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

“…A high correlation has been noted between MMP-3 levels in the serum and parameters of disease activity, such as the BASDAI and levels of acute-phase reactants (30,31). This is consistent with our data demonstrating a weak correlation between MMP-3 and CRP levels, although we did not find a correlation between MMP-3 levels and BASDAI.…”

“…This is consistent with our data demonstrating a weak correlation between MMP-3 and CRP levels, although we did not find a correlation between MMP-3 levels and BASDAI. A further study of paired synovial tissue and serum samples from 41 patients with SpA and peripheral synovitis with involvement of at least 1 knee joint, of whom 10 had AS, plus sera from an additional 16 patients with AS and peripheral synovitis and from 17 patients with AS and exclusively axial involvement, revealed high levels of MMP-3 expression in synovial tissue (31). This high level of synovial MMP-3 expression was equal to that observed in patients with RA and correlated with serum levels, and was mainly evident in patients with concomitant peripheral synovitis, in whom it was correlated with cellular infiltration, vascularization, and cartilage degradation.…”

Absence of a classically activated macrophage cytokine signature in peripheral spondylarthritis, including psoriatic arthritis

“…Second, there was a selective decrease in M1 products rather than a global impairment of macrophage function, since we did not observe differences in M2 products between SpA and RA patients. Finally, previous studies failed to detect clear differences in fibroblast-like synoviocyte products, such as matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in patients with SpA versus RA synovitis (38). Taken together, these data indicate a clearly distinct local inflammatory milieu in SpA versus RA synovitis that seems to be at least partly related to preferential expression of the alternative activation markers, such as CD163, in patients with peripheral SpA.…”

Endogenous HLA–DR–restricted presentation of the cartilage antigens human cartilage gp‐39 and melanoma inhibitory activity in the inflamed rheumatoid joint

“…SF cells from patients with spondylarthritis (SpA) (provided by the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam) were also tested for endogenous HC gp-39 presentation. Additional SF samples from RA, SpA, and osteoarthritis (OA) patients originated from a previous study (28). Synovial membrane biopsy specimens from another group of patients (described in previous reports [14,19,29]) were obtained for immunohistochemistry studies.…”