Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 20, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia.
Rheumatol Int. 2013 Nov;33(11):2867-74. doi: 10.1007/s00296-013-2823-z. Epub 2013 Jul 18.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) have their biological half-lives controlled by dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV/CD26). Several lines of evidence suggest the involvement of NPY in the regulation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and VIP has already been identified as a potent anti-inflammatory factor that reduces joint inflammation. The role of DPP IV/CD26 in the pathogenesis of RA has been indicated, but its mediator actions involving NPY and VIP have not been well investigated, so the aim of this study was to find an association between NPY, VIP, and DPP IV/CD26 in RA patients. Assessment of NPY, VIP, DPP IV/CD26 as well as some other inflammatory markers was carried out in 20 RA patients being treated with different types of drugs. Control group consisted of 18 osteoarthritis patients. Synovial fluid and serum content of investigated molecules was determined by ELISA and DPP IV/CD26 activity was measured spectrophotometrically. Immunodetection showed elevated levels of NPY and VIP in RA patients, with a significant increase in synovial fluid, while concentration and activity of DPP IV/CD26 were significantly decreased in both synovial fluid and serum. Positive correlations between serum DPP IV/CD26 concentration and activity (R = 0.6961), as well as between serum and synovial fluid concentration of VIP (R = 0.7029) were found. In RA group, NPY, VIP, and DPP IV/CD26 concentrations were not affected by the administration of drugs. The results of this study indicate a connection between elevated concentration of NPY and VIP and decreased DPP IV/CD26 activity and concentration, suggesting a potential role of these molecules in the immunomodulation of RA.
神经肽 Y（NPY）和血管活性肠肽（VIP）的生物半衰期受二肽基肽酶 IV（DPP IV/CD26）控制。有几条证据表明 NPY 参与了类风湿关节炎（RA）的调节，而 VIP 已被确定为一种有效的抗炎因子，可减轻关节炎症。已经表明 DPP IV/CD26 在 RA 的发病机制中起作用，但涉及 NPY 和 VIP 的介质作用尚未得到很好的研究，因此本研究的目的是在 RA 患者中寻找 NPY、VIP 和 DPP IV/CD26 之间的关联。在接受不同类型药物治疗的 20 名 RA 患者和 18 名骨关节炎患者中，评估了 NPY、VIP、DPP IV/CD26 以及其他一些炎症标志物。通过 ELISA 测定了所研究分子在滑液和血清中的含量，通过分光光度法测定了 DPP IV/CD26 的活性。免疫检测显示 RA 患者的 NPY 和 VIP 水平升高，滑液中明显增加，而滑液和血清中 DPP IV/CD26 的浓度和活性均显著降低。发现血清 DPP IV/CD26 浓度与活性之间呈正相关（R=0.6961），血清和滑液中 VIP 浓度之间也呈正相关（R=0.7029）。在 RA 组中，药物治疗未影响 NPY、VIP 和 DPP IV/CD26 的浓度。本研究的结果表明，NPY 和 VIP 浓度升高与 DPP IV/CD26 活性和浓度降低之间存在联系，提示这些分子在 RA 的免疫调节中可能发挥作用。
