An exploration of the relationship between interleukin 37, 8-ohdg and a number of anthropometric measurements in iraqi rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract

Background: Anti-inflammatory intermediaries like interleukin-37 (IL-37) have a central function in the disease regulation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was designed to explore the relationship between IL-37, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHDG) and certain anthropometric measurements in RA patients, and to investigate whether there are any correlations between IL-37 and 8-OHDG. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 60 patients with RA and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (HCs). IL-37 and 8-OHDG serum concentrations were estimated by ELISA. The width of waist (W.W), hip (W.H), thorax (W.T) and neck (W.N) were calculated, along with body mass index (BMI) for all subjects. Results: IL-37 and 8-OHDG serum concentrations were significantly greater in patients with RA. Nevertheless, RA patients showed lower levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and hemoglobin (Hb). Elevated serum concentrations of IL 37 were found to be positively associated with waist to hip ratio (W/H), waist to thoracic ratio (W/T), waist to neck ratio (W/N), ESR and Hb, while raised serum concentrations of 8-OHDG were positively related with W/H, W/T, SBP, DBP, creatinine and total cholesterol (TC). IL-37 exhibited the highest ROC curve value in comparison to other studied markers. Conclusion: Both anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-37) and the marker of DNA impairment (8-OHDG) form part of RA’s pathogenesis. IL-37 and 8-OHDG may be used as possible biomarkers of active RA.