Upregulation of TNF-α and IL-6 in palindromic rheumatism: A biomarker link to rheumatoid arthritis progression and therapeutic implications

IF 1 Q4 GENETICS & HEREDITY Gene Reports Pub Date : 2025-02-19 DOI:10.1016/j.genrep.2025.102175

Kamran Javidi-Aghdam , Mostafa Akbarzadeh-Khiavi , Sepideh Parvizpour , Shima Rahmani , Faranak Sheikhmonazzah , Ata Khodaparast , Aida Malek Mahdavi , Azam Safary , Alireza Khabbazi

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Palindromic rheumatism (PR) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by episodic joint inflammation, often progressing to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the molecular mechanisms driving this transition remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the roles of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the PR progression toward RA by examining their serum levels and gene expression in patients with PR and RA, compared to healthy controls (HCs).

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from patients with PR (n = 17), RA (n = 35), and age-sex-matched HCs (n = 38). TNF-α and IL-6 serum levels were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and mRNA levels were analyzed through real-time PCR. Classification and regression tree (CART) models were employed to determine the relevance of these cytokines in RA.

Results

TNF-α serum levels in PR, RA, and HCs were measured at 10.5 ± 1.3, 8.9 ± 1.1, and 6.3 ± 0.8 pg/mL, respectively. IL-6 levels were 6.84 ± 2.6, 6.65 ± 2.5, and 1.10 ± 0.5 pg/mL for the same groups. Both cytokines were significantly elevated in PR and RA patients compared to HCs (p < 0.05). Gene expression analysis confirmed the upregulation of TNF-α and IL-6 in both the PR and RA groups.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the upregulation of TNF-α and IL-6 may be key factors driving the progression of PR to RA. Targeting these cytokines could represent a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent disease advancement.

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来源期刊

Gene Reports Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Genetics

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

246

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Gene Reports publishes papers that focus on the regulation, expression, function and evolution of genes in all biological contexts, including all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, as well as viruses. Gene Reports strives to be a very diverse journal and topics in all fields will be considered for publication. Although not limited to the following, some general topics include: DNA Organization, Replication & Evolution -Focus on genomic DNA (chromosomal organization, comparative genomics, DNA replication, DNA repair, mobile DNA, mitochondrial DNA, chloroplast DNA). Expression & Function - Focus on functional RNAs (microRNAs, tRNAs, rRNAs, mRNA splicing, alternative polyadenylation) Regulation - Focus on processes that mediate gene-read out (epigenetics, chromatin, histone code, transcription, translation, protein degradation). Cell Signaling - Focus on mechanisms that control information flow into the nucleus to control gene expression (kinase and phosphatase pathways controlled by extra-cellular ligands, Wnt, Notch, TGFbeta/BMPs, FGFs, IGFs etc.) Profiling of gene expression and genetic variation - Focus on high throughput approaches (e.g., DeepSeq, ChIP-Seq, Affymetrix microarrays, proteomics) that define gene regulatory circuitry, molecular pathways and protein/protein networks. Genetics - Focus on development in model organisms (e.g., mouse, frog, fruit fly, worm), human genetic variation, population genetics, as well as agricultural and veterinary genetics. Molecular Pathology & Regenerative Medicine - Focus on the deregulation of molecular processes in human diseases and mechanisms supporting regeneration of tissues through pluripotent or multipotent stem cells.