Clinical usefulness of basic fibroblast growth factor and E-selectin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Angiogenesis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study assesses basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) as an angiogenic factor and soluble E-selectin (sE-sel) as an angiogenic mediator in RA patients and correlates their levels in serum and synovial fluid (SF) with disease activity, functional status and joint derangement. Thirty RA patients and 15 osteoarthritis (OA) patients were clinically, radiologically and laboratory investigated. bFGF, sE-sel, interleukin -1 beta (IL-1beta) and IL-6 in serum of patients and 15 healthy subjects and in SF tapped from knee joints of 9 RA and 9 OA patients were measured by ELISA. Both serum bFGF and sE-sel were significantly elevated in RA compared to OA patients and controls. These levels correlated positively with functional class stages of the disease. SF levels of bFGF and sE-sel showed significant increase in RA than OA patients. Both levels showed positive correlation with each other and with disease functional stages. A positive correlation was also found between SF bFGF with grades of joint derangement assessed radiologically. No significant correlations were observed between bFGF or sE-sel and clinical parameters of disease activity or other biochemical markers. In conclusion, serum and SF b-FGF and sE-sel may be considered as makers of functional status of RA patients. SF bFGF seems to reflect progressive joint derangement.