TGF-β is elevated in hyperuricemic individuals and mediates urate-induced hyperinflammatory phenotype in human mononuclear cells

Arthritis Research & Therapy

Research

René Bakker¹  Femke Bukkems¹  Arjan van Caam¹  Linda Mies²  Liesbeth van Emst²  Viola Klück³  Leo A. B. Joosten⁴  Georgiana Cabău⁵  Tania O. Crişan⁵ 

[1] Departement of Rheumatology, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Department of Medical Genetics, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania;Department of Medical Genetics, “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania;

关键词: TGF-β;    Hyperuricemia;    Inflammation;    Mononuclear leukocytes;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13075-023-03001-1

 received in 2022-05-12, accepted in 2023-01-29,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSoluble urate leads to a pro-inflammatory phenotype in human monocytes characterized by increased production of IL-1β and downregulation of IL-1 receptor antagonist, the mechanism of which remains to be fully elucidated. Previous transcriptomic data identified differential expression of genes in the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β pathway in monocytes exposed to urate in vitro. In this study, we explore the role of TGF-β in urate-induced hyperinflammation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).MethodsTGF-β mRNA in unstimulated PBMCs and protein levels in plasma were measured in individuals with normouricemia, hyperuricemia and gout. For in vitro validation, PBMCs of healthy volunteers were isolated and treated with a dose ranging concentration of urate for assessment of mRNA and pSMAD2. Urate and TGF-β priming experiments were performed with three inhibitors of TGF-β signalling: SB-505124, 5Z-7-oxozeaenol and a blocking antibody against TGF-β receptor II.ResultsTGF-β mRNA levels were elevated in gout patients compared to healthy controls. TGF-β-LAP levels in serum were significantly higher in individuals with hyperuricemia compared to controls. In both cases, TGF-β correlated positively to serum urate levels. In vitro, urate exposure of PBMCs did not directly induce TGF-β but did enhance SMAD2 phosphorylation. The urate-induced pro-inflammatory phenotype of monocytes was partly reversed by blocking TGF-β.ConclusionsTGF-β is elevated in individuals with hyperuricemia and correlated to serum urate concentrations. In addition, the urate-induced pro-inflammatory phenotype in human monocytes is mediated by TGF-β signalling. Future studies are warranted to explore the intracellular pathways involved and to assess the clinical significance of urate-TGF-β relation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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