Pristane promotes anaerobic glycolysis to facilitate proinflammatory activation of macrophages and development of arthritis

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Control of excessive mitochondrial oxidative stress could provide new targets for both preventive and therapeutic interventions in the treatment of chronic inflammation or any pathology that develops under an inflammatory scenario, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Increasing evidence has demonstrated the role of mitochondrial alterations in autoimmune diseases mainly due to the interplay between metabolism and innate immunity, but also in the modulation of inflammatory response of resident cells, such as synoviocytes. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction derived from several danger signals could activate tricarboxylic acid (TCA) disruption, thereby favoring a vicious cycle of oxidative/mitochondrial stress. Mitochondrial dysfunction can act through modulating innate immunity via redox-sensitive inflammatory pathways or direct activation of the inflammasome. Besides, mitochondria also have a central role in regulating cell death, which is deeply altered in RA. Additionally, multiple evidence suggests that pathological processes in RA can be shaped by epigenetic mechanisms and that in turn, mitochondria are involved in epigenetic regulation. Finally, we will discuss about the involvement of some dietary components in the onset and progression of RA.

How to Model Rheumatoid Arthritis in Animals: From Rodents to Non-Human Primates

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. At present, rodent models are primarily used to study the pathogenesis and treatment of RA. However, the genetic divergences between rodents and humans determine differences in the development of RA, which makes it necessary to explore the establishment of new models. Compared to rodents, non-human primates (NHPs) are much more closely related to humans in terms of the immune system, metabolic conditions, and genetic make-up. NHPs model provides a powerful tool to study the development of RA and potential complications, as well as preclinical studies in drug development. This review provides a brief overview of the RA animal models, emphasizes the replication methods, pros and cons, as well as evaluates the validity of the rodent and NHPs models.