Macrophage migration inhibitory factor may play a protective role in osteoarthritis

Arthritis Research & Therapy

Dake Qi¹  Liujun Chen¹  Guanghua Lei²  Guang Sun³  Proton Rahman³  Hongwei Zhang³  Andrew Furey⁴  Guangju Zhai⁵  Jieying Xiong⁵  Ming Liu⁵  Zikun Xie⁶ 

[1]College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

[2]Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

[3]Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada

[4]Discipline of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada

[5]Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, St. John’s, NL, Canada

[6]Division of Biomedical Sciences (Genetics), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, St. John’s, NL, Canada

[7]Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China

关键词: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor;    Osteoarthritis;    Inflammation;    Cytokines;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13075-021-02442-w

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundOsteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis and the major cause of disability and overall diminution of quality of life in the elderly population. Currently there is no cure for OA, partly due to the large gaps in our understanding of its underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a procytokine that mediates pleiotropic inflammatory effects in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, data on the role of MIF in OA is limited with conflicting results. We undertook this study to investigate the role of MIF in OA by examining MIF genotype, mRNA expression, and protein levels in the Newfoundland Osteoarthritis Study.MethodsOne hundred nineteen end-stage knee/hip OA patients, 16 RA patients, and 113 healthy controls were included in the study. Two polymorphisms in the MIF gene, rs755622, and -794 CATT5-8, were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and PCR followed by automated capillary electrophoresis, respectively. MIF mRNA levels in articular cartilage and subchondral bone were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Plasma concentrations of MIF, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Resultsrs755622 and -794 CATT5-8 genotypes were not associated with MIF mRNA or protein levels or OA (all p ≥ 0.19). MIF mRNA level in cartilage was lower in OA patients than in controls (p = 0.028) and RA patients (p = 0.004), while the levels in bone were comparable between OA patients and controls (p = 0.165). MIF protein level in plasma was lower in OA patients than in controls (p = 3.01 × 10−10), while the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in plasma were all significantly higher in OA patients than in controls (all p ≤ 0.0007). Multivariable logistic regression showed lower MIF and higher IL-1β protein levels in plasma were independently associated with OA (OR per SD increase = 0.10 and 8.08; 95% CI = 0.04–0.19 and 4.42–16.82, respectively), but TNF-α and IL-6 became non-significant.ConclusionsReduced MIF mRNA and protein expression in OA patients suggested MIF might have a protective role in OA and could serve as a biomarker to differentiate OA from other joint disorders.

【 授权许可】

CC BY