[A study of neuropeptides and cytokines in sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis]

Neuropeptides and cytokines are known as substances which produce various effects on local disease sites. Many studies of these substances role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been carried out in connection with synovial effusion and synovium, but very few in connection with sera. We studied the substances in sera from patients with RA, hypothesizing that the serum levels should reflect the degree of RA activity. We selected nine neuropeptides and cytokines, and measured their serum levels in twenty-five RA patients. For comparison, ten healthy persons were also studied. The results showed that low levels of CRF, ACTH and cortisol, and the high levels of SP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in sera from the patients with RA compared with those from healthy persons. IL-6 and TNF-alpha correlated with RA activity indexes. We conclude that some neuropeptides and cytokines should act actively on RA through the circulatory blood. The measurement of serum neuropeptides and cytokines in patients with RA is a useful indicator of the degree of RA activity.