RESEARCH ARTICLE


Determinants of Risk Infection During Therapy with Anti TNF-Alpha Blocking Agents in Rheumatoid Arthritis



M Benucci*, 1, G Saviola2, P Baiardi3, M Manfredi4, P Sarzi Puttini5, Fabiola Atzeni5, 6
1 Rheumatology Unit Hospital S. Giovanni di Dio, Florence, Italy
2 Rheumatology Unit Maugeri Foundation, Mantua, Italy
3 Methodology Unit University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
4 Laboratory of Immunology and Allergology Hospital S. Giovanni di Dio, Florence, Italy
5 Rheumatology Unit, L. Sacco University Hospital, Milan, Italy
6 Experimental Medicine, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK


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Creative Commons License
© Benucci et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Sanitaria di Firenze, Ospedale S. Giovanni di Dio, Via Torregalli,3 50143 Florence, Italy; Tel: 0039-55-7192331; Fax: 0039-55-7192306; E-mail: maubenucci@tiscali.it, maurizio.benucci@asf.toscana.it


Abstract

The use of TNF-alpha antagonists (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab) has changed the course of many rheumatic diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since their approval, some questions regarding their safety including infections have been observed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in cytokines levels and cells subsets in patients with RA during anti TNF blocking agents treatment and the possible effect on infections’ development. We evaluated in 89 RA patients [39 treated with etanercept (ETN), 29 with adalimumab (ADA) and 21 with infliximab (IFN)] at baseline and after 6 months the following parameters: procalcitonin, ESR, CRP, cytokines as TNF, IL-6, IL-10, IL-8 and the TNF/IL-10 ratio, and peripheral mononuclear cells as CD3+, CD3+/CD4+, CD3+/CD8+, CD19+, CD3- /CD16+/56+, CD14+HLADR+, CD20+, CD19+/CD38+. Peripheral mononuclear cells were detected by flow cytometric system Cytomics FC500 and cytokines circulating levels by a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique (Human IL-8 Instant ELISAe Bioscience, Human IL-6 Instant ELISA e Bioscience, Human IL-10 Instant ELISAe Bioscience and Human TNF-a Quantikine immunoassay RD system). A lower reduction of CD14+HLADR+ in ADA group 54.6±10.4% vs ETA 48.4±15.7% vs INF 40.7±16.5%, p<0.039 was found. No differences in all three groups on peripheral mononuclear cells CD3+, CD3+/CD4+, CD3+/CD8+, CD19+, CD 20+, CD19+/CD38+, CD3-/CD16+/56+, and cytokine circulating levels were found. The number of infections at 6 months was: 10.3% in ADA group, 12.8% in ETN group and 19.04% in IFN group. A correlation was found between the reduction in CD14+HLADR+ cells and IFN treatment. Our data showed that the level of CD14+HLADR+ cells was reduced during therapy with IFN. ADA and ETN don’t reduce lymphocyte populations and their subsets such as CD14+HLADR+ cells that play an important role host defence.

Keywords: Infections, TNF blocking agents, peripheral mononuclear cells..