Low levels of pro-resolving lipid mediators lipoxin-A4, resolvin-D1 and resolvin-E1 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease in which joint inflammation is at the forefront but the whole body is affected, and prevention of inflammation is the main treatment approach. Lipoxins (LXs) and resolvins (Rvs) are critical molecules in the resolution of inflammation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of LXs and Rvs in the RA pathogenesis. To this end, we measured the LXA 4, RvD 1, RvE 1 levels, and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17a, IL-22 and MCP-1 in patients with RA and healthy individuals. We found that the LXA4, RvD1, RvE1 levels of the active RA cases were significantly lower than in remission RA and healthy individuals, but the levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were significantly higher. The decreases in LXs and Rvs were independent of disease activity, suggesting that there might be an impairment of LX and Rvs synthesis or catabolism in patients with RA.