[Rheumatoid arthritis: cyclic nucleotides in the blood plasma]

The content of cyclic nucleotides in blood plasma was measured in 151 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. As compared to the control, the patients demonstrated a significant decrease of the cAMP content and a rise of the cGMP content. The disease standing was found to produce an appreciable effect on the cAMP content. RA patients untreated with glucocorticoids manifested significant correlations between the content of cyclic nucleotides and some characteristics of inflammation and of the immune status. At the same time the majority of such correlations may be lost under conditions of hormonal dependence, which is likely to attest to dysregulation of inflammatory process. In the course of the treatment, the content of cAMP in the plasma increase is attended by a reduction increases in 63.8% of the patients. In the majority of them, that of the level of circulating immune complexes, thereby supporting the relationship between immunopathological and metabolic disorders at the cellular level.