Hepcidin-25 gives an indication of the therapeutic effectiveness of tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis – relationship between disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis and anemia

Publication date: Available online 18 October 2016 Source:Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia (English Edition) Author(s): Satoshi Suzuki, Souichiro Nakano, Seiichiro Ando, Ran Matsudaira, Yoshinori Kanai, Kenjiro Yamanaka, Yoshinari Takasaki Anemia often develops in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. In the present study, we examined the association between the therapeutic effectiveness of the biologic agent tocilizumab (TCZ) and potential predictors of therapeutic effectiveness. We focused on the amelioration of anemia of chronic inflammation through the mechanism of direct inhibition of interleukin (IL)-6 receptor-mediated signals by TCZ. Serum hepcidin-25, which is expressed in an IL-6 dependent manner and is a major cause of anemia of chronic inflammation, was measured in 10 RA patients, before and after administration of TCZ. We compared the findings with IL-6 and changes in clinical data, to assess whether hepcidin-25 could act as a predictor of the effectiveness of TCZ. A high level of serum hepcidin-25 was observed in most RA patients, and a decrease was noted after administration of TCZ; most patients had favorable treatment responses. A subgroup of patients had normal or low serum hepcidin-25 levels before administration, increased levels after administration, and poor treatment responses to TCZ. These results suggest that hepcidin-25 may be a predictor of clinical response to TCZ.

Source: Revista Brasileira de Reumatologia - October 23, 2016 Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research