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Adalimumab treatment may reduce endothelial activation in patients with RA
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Muscle biopsies taken from patients with rheumatoid arthritis before and after undergoing treatment with Humira showed reduced activation of endothelial tissue, a risk for cardiovascular disease.
Researchers included 11 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who met American College of Rheumatology criteria for diagnosis and had begun treatment with Humira (adalimumab, AbbVie) 40 mg every 2 weeks in the study. Six of the patients were smokers, two were former smokers and three had never smoked. Six patients had blood pressures higher than 140 mm Hg/80 mm Hg (mean 135 mm Hg/78 mm Hg) at baseline. Median disease duration was 6.5 years.
Inclusion criteria included non-response to at least one disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, the presence of at least six swollen joints and C-reactive protein level of greater than 8 mg/mL within the last 3 months. Patients were excluded if they had been treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor drugs in the prior 3 months, had received intravenous corticosteroids 14 days prior, if oral corticosteroid therapy was ongoing or if any contraindication to muscle biopsy were present.
Muscle biopsies were performed before treatment and after 3 months of treatment. The area of positive staining of human leukocyte antigen-DQ (HLA-DQ) was reduced after the treatment period. Reduced expression of interleukin-1 alpha was seen in those who responded well to treatment, but HLA-DQ was reduced in both responders and nonresponders, according to the researchers. No difference in baseline HLA-DQ was seen in smokers vs. nonsmokers, but nonsmokers showed a significant reduction in HLA-DQ expression.
A good or moderate response to treatment with RA symptoms was seen in in six patients upon dividing the patients according to clinical response, according to the researchers. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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