Angiogenic cytokines can reflect the synovitis severity and treatment response to biologics in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis: growth factor shows diagnostic potential A growth factor implicated in the development of new blood vessels could serve as an indicator of disease severity and treatment response in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A team led by Wan-Uk Kim from the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, and Jingchun Jin from Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, China, tested RA patients for signaling proteins that direct the formation of blood vessels. They found several proteins whose levels, either in blood or joint fluid, tracked closely with the severity of joint inflammation. The blood levels of only one protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), reliably dropped in those who responded favorably to drug treatments but not in those who derived little benefit from anti-rheumatic therapy. The findings highlight the diagnostic potential of blood testing for VEGF as a biomarker of RA activity.