The profile of polyunsaturated fatty acids in juvenile idiopathic arthritis and association with disease activity

Abstract

We investigated the association between dietary intake of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), serum profiles, and immune and inflammatory markers in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in relation to onset, activity, and duration. A total of 66 JIA patients and 42 controls were included. Serum PUFA levels were assessed by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, a dietary intake by 7-day dietary record method, and IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A levels using ELISA. Dietary PUFA intake did not differ between the JIA group and controls. Intakes of n-6 and n-3 PUFA and serum levels were not associated. Levels of total n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid (LA) were higher in inactive JIA than in active JIA. Patients with active and short-lasting disease (less than 3 months from diagnosis) had significantly lower levels of arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than the control. Serum α-linolenic acid (ALA) levels were significantly higher in poly-JIA than in oligo-JIA and in controls. We found significantly higher serum IL-10 levels in JIA than in controls. Serum n-6 and n-3 levels were significantly negatively correlated with active joint count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein and positively with platelet count. Our study presents the low levels of AA and DHA in the active phase of short-lasting JIA, particularly poly-JIA, and the relationship between n-6 and n-3 PUFA and classic markers of inflammation. PUFAs may contribute to the pathogenesis of JIA and support a necessity to identify new targets suitable for successful interventional studies in JIA patients.

Evaluation of the Serum Visfatin and Adiponectin Levels Related with the Activity of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

“…During active disease, high ESR and CRP values relate to immunologic response; particularly innate immun phase. In the present study, we demonstrated significantly higher ESR and CRP values in the active disease group when compared to the control subjects, supported by the similar results in the literature [30].…”

Metabolomic Profiling Identifies Exogenous and Microbiota-Derived Metabolites as Markers of Methotrexate Efficacy in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

“…Our work also found MTX therapy was associated with increases in plasma concentrations of several unsaturated fatty acids, including docosahexanoic acid and linoleic acid. Previous work has similarly found lower unsaturated fatty acid levels in the serum of JIA patients with active disease, and found that unsaturated fatty acid concentrations were inversely associated with markers of disease activity (Gorczyca et al, 2017). The omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids have been proposed to alter eicosanoid metabolism in favor of an anti-inflammatory state and potentially alter innate and adaptive immune cell function, as well as cytokine and reactive oxygen species production (Miles and Calder, 2012) (Gheita et al, 2012).…”

“…Clinical response data collected at 3 months included the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Pediatric 30, 50, and 70 response, which is a composite score comprised of: 1) physician global assessment of disease activity (MD-VAS), 2) patient/parent assessment of overall well-being (PT-VAS), 3) functional ability (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire, CHAQ), 4) number of joints with active arthritis, 5) number of joints with limited range of motion, and 6) erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (Giannini et al, 1997). We also utilized the validated continuous Juvenile Arthritis disease Activity Score (JADAS-71) compiled from the normalized ESR, the active joint count, PT-VAS, and MD-VAS (Consolaro et al, 2009).…”

The place of omega-3 and omega-6 acids in supplementary treatment of inflammatory joint diseases

“…A study focusing on the Polish population of patients with JIA conventionally treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressants such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), glucocorticosteroids (GCS), methotrexate (MTX), chloroquine (HQ), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and sulfasalazine (SF) showed that the concentration of omega-3 and omega-6 acids had a negative correlation with the number of involved joints, value of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and the concentration of CRP, along with a positive correlation with the number of blood platelets [32].…”