Comparison of the concentrations of pentosidine in the synovial fluid, serum and urine of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

J. R. Chen1, M. Takahashi1,2, M. Suzuki1, K. Kushida1, S. Miyamoto1 and T. Inoue1

1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, 431–3192 and
2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Iwata Municipal General Hospital, Iwata, 438, Japan

Correspondence to: M. Takahashi, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 3600 Handa, Hamamatsu, 43–3192, Japan.


    Abstract
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 Abstract
 Introduction
 Patients and methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Objective.Pentosidine, an advanced glycation end product (AGE), has recently been observed to be elevated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim was to elucidate which pentosidine levels, i.e. in serum, synovial fluid or urine, are more related to the disease status of RA.

Methods.We measured levels of pentosidine in serum, synovial fluid or urine in RA compared with osteoarthritis (OA), and examined the relationship between pentosidine and RA disease activity. Subjects were 20 patients with RA and 22 patients with OA.

Results.In total RA and OA patients combined, there was a significant correlation between pentosidine in serum, synovial fluid and urine. Pentosidine in serum and synovial fluid was significantly higher in RA than in OA. In RA, there were significant correlations between pentosidine in serum and synovial fluid and C-reactive protein, Lansbury index (LI) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Conclusions.These results demonstrate that pentosidine levels in body fluids correlated with each other, and pentosidine in serum and in synovial fluid is associated with the systemic inflammatory activity of RA. Higher or similar concentrations of pentosidine in serum compared with synovial fluids indicate that the elevated pentosidine levels in serum in RA are not derived from the synovial fluid, but from an increase in the formation of pentosidine in the whole body in RA. Among body fluids, serum pentosidine was the superior indicator for RA disease status.

KEY WORDS: Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Pentosidine, Oxygen radicals


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Patients and methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Pentosidine is one of a number of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) [1]. Its significant elevation was observed in tissues in diabetes mellitus [2], in uraemic patients with end-stage renal failure [24], and in accelerated aging [57]. Pentosidine is formed by sequential glycosylation and oxidation reactions. Therefore, it is hypothesized that pentosidine formation is accelerated in diseases related to oxidative stress.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease, although its major clinical consequence is inflammation of the joints and contiguous structures. There is now considerable evidence for the involvement of oxygen-centred free radicals in acute and chronic inflammatory arthritis [8, 9]. The role of free radicals in the autoxidation of biological lipids is well established [10]. Patients with RA have depressed serum levels of the antioxidant, and a low antioxidant level is a risk factor for RA [11]. Pentosidine is formed by sequential glycosylation and oxidation reactions. Because oxidative stress and oxygen free radicals play a significant role in tissue damage and inflammation in RA, pentosidine is supposed to be implicated in this disease [1215].

Several years ago, pentosidine was reported to be elevated in the articular cartilage of RA [12]. However, its significant relationship to RA has not been investigated until recently. Now, there have been several studies which provide evidence that pentosidine is elevated in patients with RA. Pentosidine in serum and urine is elevated, and reflects the disease activity of RA [13]. Pentosidine in synovial fluid is higher in RA than in osteoarthritis (OA), and its level also reflects the disease activity of RA [16]. Although all pentosidine levels in body fluids have been associated with RA disease activity, it has not been clear which pentosidine levels, i.e. in serum, synovial fluid or urine, are a superior indicator. In the present study, therefore, we investigated pentosidine levels in serum, synovial fluid and urine in OA and RA.


    Patients and methods
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 Abstract
 Introduction
 Patients and methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Patients
The study included 20 patients with RA and 22 patients with OA. RA was diagnosed according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) [17]. The RA group consisted of 15 female and five male patients aged 25–69 yr (mean±S.D.=61.0±13.0). OA of the knee joints was diagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms, examination and radiographic findings. These patients fulfilled the ACR criteria of OA. The OA group consisted of 13 female and nine male patients aged 46–79 yr (mean±S.D.=62.7±10.6). They were attending the out-patient clinic in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Hamamatsu University School of Medicine. There was no significant difference in age between RA and OA patients. Patients who had diabetes mellitus, steroid users and those with abnormal levels of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) or creatinine were excluded from the study. Blood, synovial fluid and urine were collected on the same day from all RA and OA patients. After collection, blood samples were centrifuged at 3000 r.p.m. for 15 min. Synovial fluid was obtained by knee aspiration. Sera, synovial fluid and urine samples were kept at -30°C until analysis. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. The procedures followed were in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki in 1975, as revised in 1983.

Clinical features, blood biochemistry in RA
Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured by routine laboratory methods. A Lansbury index (LI) was determined based on the duration of morning stiffness, ESR (value at 1 h), grip strength (mmHg) and joint score [18, 19]. Urinary creatinine content was measured by a routine laboratory method.

Measurements of pentosidine in serum, synovial fluid and urine
The pre-treatment of samples before injection into the HPLC column was described previously [13, 16]. Pentosidine was measured by a direct HPLC method with column switching as described previously [13]. Briefly, the samples were injected into a gel-filtration pre-column (TSK pre-column PW, 4.6 mmx3.5 cm; TOSOH, Tokyo, Japan), the eluate fraction containing pentosidine selected, and this fraction introduced into a reversed-phased column (TSK-GEL ODS-80T, 4.6 mmx15 cm; TOSOH) by use of a switching valve. The urine sample was injected directly into the HPLC column without acid hydrolysis. The concentrations of pentosidine in serum and synovial fluid were expressed as nmol/l. The concentrations of pentosidine in urine were corrected by the concentrations of urine creatinine and expressed as µmol/mol creatinine. Standard pentosidine was synthesized [20] and the concentration was calibrated with pentosidine, which was a gift from Dr V. M. Monnier.

Statistical analysis
The statistical significance of difference was determined with non-parametric statistics using Mann–Whitney U-tests between two groups. Simple regression was performed for univariate correlation and the statistical significance of correlation was determined with the Spearman rank correlation test. The analysis was performed with StatView II software (Abacus Concepts, Inc., Berkeley, CA, USA) on a Macintosh computer (Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA). Values of P<0.05 were considered significant.


    Results
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 Abstract
 Introduction
 Patients and methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Pentosidine levels in serum and synovial fluid were significantly higher in RA than in OA (Table 1Go). In urine, pentosidine levels tended to be higher in RA than in OA, but not significantly so. In either RA or OA, pentosidine levels tended to be higher in serum than in synovial fluid, but there was no statistically significant difference. The correlations of pentosidine levels between serum, synovial fluid and urine were examined in total patients of RA and OA. Pentosidine levels in serum, synovial fluid and urine were significantly correlated to each other (Fig. 1Go).


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TABLE 1.  Comparison of pentosidine levels in serum, synovial fluid and urine in RA and OAa
 


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FIG. 1.  Correlation between serum, synovial fluid and urine pentosidine in all subjects with RA and OA. Equations: (A) Ser-pen (nmol/l)=1.67x(SF-pen nmol/l)-20.83, r=0.856, P=0.0001; (B) SF-pen (nmol/l)=4.88x(Ur-pen µmol/mol creat)+38.62, r=0.496, P=0.025; (C) Ser-pen (nmol/l)=9.68x(Ur-pen µmol/mol creat)+31.77, r=0.496, P=0.029.

 
Pentosidine levels in serum and synovial fluid of RA were significantly correlated with CRP, ESR and LI. However, there was no significant correlation between urine pentosidine levels and CRP, ESR and LI (data not shown). When pentosidine levels were compared between subgroups of RA patients who were divided into high (CRP 20 mg/l and LI 40%) and low (CRP<20 mg/l and/or LI<40%) activity groups, pentosidine levels in serum and synovial fluid were significantly higher in the high-activity group than in the low-activity group (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in urine pentosidine levels between these two groups. When pentosidine levels were compared between subgroups of RA patients who were classified by stage (Stage I+II and Stage III+IV) or class (Class I+II and Class III+IV) according to Steinbrocker et al. [21], there were no statistically significant differences in serum, synovial fluid and urine pentosidine levels between the two subgroups of stage and the two subgroups of class (data not shown).


    Discussion
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 Abstract
 Introduction
 Patients and methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Free radicals are implicated in tissue damage and inflammation in RA [8, 9], and the formation of pentosidine is associated with oxidation [22]. However, there have so far been a few reports studying pentosidine in RA [1216]. To our knowledge, we were the first to report the increased levels of serum pentosidine in RA [13]. The present study demonstrates that pentosidine levels of several body fluids were elevated in RA. However, the mechanisms of these phenomena remain unclear. It is known that chronic hyperglycaemia leads to the accumulation of non-enzymatically derived glycosylation products of proteins, such as pentosidine in diabetes mellitus. In RA, the increased pentosidine concentrations are present in body fluids; however, glucose levels are normal. Interest in recent years has focused on the potential of glycated proteins as a source of free radicals [23]. Exposure of IgG and other proteins to oxygen radicals, generated by photolysis or by a mixture of iron or copper salts and hydrogen peroxide, induces fluorescence in the protein which is essentially indistinguishable from that attributed to Schiff base formation. Because pentosidine formation requires aerobic conditions, we propose that such free radicals could explain possible pathways for the elevation of pentosidine in RA. Thus, protein-linked fluorescence such as that of pentosidine may therefore not be the result of cumulative glycaemia over many years, but could be the result of successive exposure to free radical-induced oxidation, and this may be of importance in disease activity in RA.

When we first observed the elevated levels of serum pentosidine in RA and its significant relationship to disease activity [13], we supposed that the elevated pentosidine in the blood circulation was derived from the inflammatory joints in RA. Actually, pentosidine in synovial fluid was observed to be increased greater in RA than OA in the successive study [16]. In that study, we proposed two possible pathways for the elevation of pentosidine in RA. One possibility is that because pentosidine is abundant in cartilage compared with the other tissues [2426], inflammation of the joints may induce the breakdown of cartilage, releasing cartilaginous pentosidine into synovial fluid; the other is an increase in the formation of pentosidine in synovial fluid. It is known that total proteins increase in synovial fluid in severely inflamed joints, especially in those of RA. It is also known that free radical oxidation products of synovial fluid were higher in inflammatory than in degenerative joint disease, and in patients with RA than in normal controls [27]. A combination of elevated proteins (and amino acids) and the acceleration of free radicals in synovial fluid of RA stimulates Maillard reactions, then increases the formation of pentosidine in synovial fluid in RA. However, the present study and the previous one [15] showed that pentosidine levels in synovial fluid were relatively lower than those in serum because a certain retention of proteins in synovial membranes and a consumption of the protein in the joint make the concentrations of proteins in synovial fluid slightly lower than those in plasma [28, 29]. Therefore, the elevated pentosidine levels in serum of RA are not derived from the synovial fluid, but from an increase in the formation of pentosidine in the whole body in RA. The general increase in free radicals is likely to accelerate the formation of pentosidine in RA. Accordingly, pentosidine may not be a biochemical marker for joint degradation, but may be a marker for the disease activity of RA. However, further research is needed to verify this.

The results in the present study showed that pentosidine levels in serum, synovial fluid and urine were significantly correlated with each other. However, serum and synovial fluid pentosidine were a more superior indicator for RA disease activity than urine pentosidine. Although the substances in synovial fluid can directly reflect the local joint status, such as the inflammation and degradation of the joint tissues, pentosidine may be carried into synovial fluid from the blood circulation. Therefore, among these body fluids, serum pentosidine is the best indicator for the disease status of RA.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Patients and methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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Submitted 15 December 1998; revised version accepted 15 June 1999.