Ankylosing spondylitis with idiopathic spinal cord herniation

BMP2 variants in the risk of ankylosing spondylitis

The purpose of the study was to explore the genetic effects of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP2) polymorphisms on the susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Chinese Han population. The case-control study included 120 AS cases and 110 healthy controls. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test was performed in control group. BMP2 rs235768 and rs3178250 polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. Additionally, the χ²  test was used to estimate association strength between BMP2 genetic polymorphisms and AS susceptibility, and the results were assessed via odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Results adjustment was performed using logistic regression analysis. AA, AT, TT genotype and A, T allele frequencies of BMP2 rs235768 polymorphism presented no significant differences between case and control groups (P > .05 for all). TC genotype of rs3178250 polymorphism showed significantly higher in case group than that in control group (P = .048). After adjusting, TC genotype was a risk factor for AS (OR = 2.095; 95%CI = 1.086-4.038; P = .027). BMP2 rs3178250 polymorphism may increase individual susceptibility to AS in Chinese Han population.

Protective Effects of Sinomenine Against Ankylosing Spondylitis and the Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying molecular mechanism of sinomenine (SIN) on ankylosing spondylitis (AS). MATERIAL AND METHODS To study the potential role of SIN in the pathogenesis of AS, an AS mouse model was established and mice were treated with different concentrations of SIN (10, 30, and 50 mg/kg, administered intraperitoneally). Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were determined by ELISA assay. Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR were used to quantify the levels of related proteins and gene mRNA expression. RESULTS The results suggest that AS mice has higher levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 (p<0.01 for all), and lower levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) (p<0.01 for all). SIN treatment reduced the level of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner, and the levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX were dose-dependently increased (p<0.05 for all). The results also revealed that NF-κBp65 expression decreased, while the level of IkB increased, in a dose-dependent manner, after SIN treatment in AS mice (p<0.05 for all). The level of p-p38 was dose-dependently reduced in AS mice by SIN treatment (p<0.05). Moreover, SIN inhibited Cox-2 expression in AS mice in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS SIN has a beneficial role in AS through suppressing inflammatory mediators and by down-regulating oxidative stress via inhibiting the MAPKp38/NF-kB pathway and Cox-2 expression.

Effect of metformin on ossification and inflammation of fibroblasts in ankylosing spondylitis: An in vitro study

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibroblasts ossification. However, effective drug therapy for AS is lacking. As an antidiabetic drug, metformin has demonstrated an antiosteogenic effect on osteoblasts in vitro. And it is also a kind of specific agonists for adenosine 5'-monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is blocked in the process of AS. Given the role in antiosteogenesis and AMPK activating, metformin was investigated of its effect on fibroblasts harvested from capsular ligament of patients with femoral neck fracture and AS. Osteogenic specific makers (Alp, Bglap, Runx2, Bmp2, and Col1) in fibroblasts administered with metformin (20 μg/mL) were detected by ALP staining, alizarin red staining, qPCR, and Western blotting after 7 and 14 days of culture. Inflammation genes (il1-β and il6) and pathway (Pi3k, Akt, and Ampk) associated markers were also evaluated. Our results showed that osteogenic specific markers were greatly downregulated and ossification was effectively inhibited in AS fibroblasts after addition of metformin. Levels of inflammation markers were also decreased by metformin. Thus, metformin exerts potent effect on suppression of ossification and inflammation in AS fibroblasts via the activation of Pi3k/Akt and AMPK pathways, which may be developed as a potential agent for treatment of AS.

The Role of MicroRNAS in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common and genetically heterozygous inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by new bone formation, ankylosis and inflammation of hip, sacroiliac joints and spine. Until now, there is no method for early diagnosis of AS and the effective treatment available for AS patients remain largely undefined.We searched articles indexed in PubMed (MEDLINE) database using Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) or Title/Abstract words ("microRNA" and "ankylosing spondylitis") from inception up to November 2015.Genetic polymorphisms of miRNAs and their targets might alter the risk of AS development whereas certain miRNAs exhibit correlation with inflammatory index.Let-7i and miR-124 were upregulated whereas miR-130a was downregulated in circulating immune cells of AS patients. These deregulated miRNAs could modulate key immune cell functions, such as cytokine response and T-cell survival.miRNA deregulation is key to AS pathogenesis. However, clinical utilization of miRNAs for management of AS patients requires further support from future translational studies.