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Preliminary study of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1(HMGB1) in ankylosing spondylitis patients
Yu Chen1, Wei Sun2, Shouxin Li1
1Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Insights
Serum levels of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) are elevated in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and correlate with disease activity. HMGB1 may play a role in AS inflammation via cell surface receptors.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Rheumatology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease.
- High mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in autoimmune diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare serum HMGB1 levels in AS patients versus healthy controls.
- Assess HMGB1 association with AS disease activity and function.
- Investigate HMGB1 cell surface receptor expression in AS.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serum HMGB1.
- Assessment of disease activity indices (BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI) and inflammatory markers (ESR, CRP).
- Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for HMGB1 and receptor (RAGE, TLR2, TLR4, IL-1Racp) mRNA expression.
Main Results:
- AS patients exhibited significantly higher serum HMGB1 levels than controls.
- HMGB1 levels positively correlated with BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI, CRP, and ESR.
- TLR2, TLR4, and IL-1Racp mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) correlated with HMGB1 expression.
Conclusions:
- Serum HMGB1 may serve as a valuable biomarker for AS disease activity and severity.
- Extracellular HMGB1 likely exerts its inflammatory effects through TLR2, TLR4, and IL-1Racp.
Objectives:
To compare the serum levels of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) between patients with AS and healthy controls, and evaluate its association with disease activities and functional abilities; to investigate the cell surface receptors related to HMGB1 in AS patients.
Methods:
The HMGB1 serum levels from71 previously untreated AS patients and 40 healthy controls were detected by ELISA method. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), erythrocytesedimentationrate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were assessed on these participants. The mRNA expression of HMGB1 and its relevant cell surface receptors RAGE, TLR2, TLR4, and IL-1Racp complex were analysed by RT-PCR.
Results:
The HMGB1 serum levels from AS patients were significantly higher than those from healthy controls and remarkably positive correlated with BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI, CRP, and ESR. ASDAS showed more correlated to HMGB1 serum levels than BASDAI. Besides, the expression of TLR2, TLR4, and IL-1Racp from PBMCs revealed significant correlations with the expression of HMGB1.
Conclusions:
HMGB1 might be a good laboratory index for the evaluation of disease activities and disease severity in AS patients. Further, extracellular HMGB1 play its inflammatory role mainly via the expression of cell surface receptors TLR2, TLR4 and IL-1RAcP complex.
