Khalid Sabeen, Yousaf Muhammad Javad, Rashid Amir, Khan Saleem Ahmad
Dr. Sabeen Khalid, MBBS, MPhil. Department of Biochemistry, Aziz Fatimah Medical & Dental College, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Muhammad Javad Yousaf, MBBS, FCPS, MHPE. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistani.
Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(3):802-806. doi: 10.12669/pjms.35.3.1070.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis is the inflammation that is mediated by the macrophages and monocytes that cause release of pro-inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-18. It is highly expressed in serum of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and has a positive association with disease activity. The aim of this study was to analyze the gene expression of interleukin-18 in rheumatoid arthritis patients on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug therapy.
The cross sectional comparative study is conducted at Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Center for Research in Experimental and Applied Medicine (CREAM-1Lab), Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, in collaboration with Rheumatology Department, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi. Study was conducted on two groups consisting of Group-I of rheumatoid arthritis patients on diseases modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and control Group-II comprising of normal healthy individuals. Non-probability purposive sampling was done from patients and controls. The duration of study was one year i-e from November 2015 to November 2016. Relative quantification of gene expression of interleukin-18 was done by Real time PCR using ∆∆CT method.
Expression analysis for interleukin-18 showed down regulation of gene in rheumatoid arthritis patients as compared to controls.
Interleukin-18 gene shows down regulation in rheumatoid arthritis patients on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs therapy.
类风湿关节炎的标志是由巨噬细胞和单核细胞介导的炎症，这些细胞会导致促炎细胞因子如白细胞介素-18的释放。它在类风湿关节炎患者的血清中高度表达，且与疾病活动呈正相关。本研究的目的是分析接受改善病情抗风湿药物治疗的类风湿关节炎患者白细胞介素-18的基因表达情况。
本横断面比较研究在拉瓦尔品第陆军医学院生物化学与分子生物学系及实验与应用医学研究中心（CREAM-1实验室）进行，并与拉瓦尔品第军事医院风湿病科合作。研究对象分为两组，第一组为接受改善病情抗风湿药物治疗的类风湿关节炎患者，第二组为正常健康个体作为对照组。对患者和对照组采用非概率目的抽样。研究持续时间为一年，即从2015年11月至2016年11月。使用∆∆CT法通过实时荧光定量PCR对白细胞介素-18的基因表达进行相对定量。
白细胞介素-18的表达分析显示，与对照组相比，类风湿关节炎患者的基因表达下调。
在接受改善病情抗风湿药物治疗的类风湿关节炎患者中，白细胞介素-18基因显示下调。
