ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Methotrexate reduces the levels of pentosidine and 8-hydroxy-deoxy guanosine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Authors

Yasunori Kageyama¹, Masaaki Takahashi¹, Tetsuyuki Nagafusa¹, Eiji Torikai¹ and Akira Nagano¹

1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Hamamatsu 431-3125, Japan

Received:

06 April 2007

Accepted:

01 June 2007

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Abstract

This study was performed to investigate whether methotrexate (MTX) affects the levels of oxidative stress markers, including pentosidine one of the glycation end products (AGEs) or 8-hydroxy-deoxy guanosine (8-OHdG). These stress markers represent DNA damage; 19 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients underwent MTX treatment. The levels of serum total, urinary total, urinary-free pentosidine and also urinary 8-OHdG, as well as clinical parameters, including disease activity scores for 28 joints (DAS28) were measured at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after the initial treatment with MTX. After the initial treatment with MTX, serum total and urinary total pentosidine levels were reduced at 6 months, and urinary-free pentosidine levels were reduced at 3 and 6 months. Urinary 8-OHdG levels also were significantly reduced at 6 months after the initial treatment with MTX. This study demonstrated that MTX plays a role as a regulator against pentosidine formation and oxidative DNA damage in RA patients.

Key words

8-Hydroxy-deoxy guanosine - Methotrexate - Pentosidine - Rheumatoid arthritis