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. 2011 Jun;70(6):1160-2.
doi: 10.1136/ard.2010.141549. Epub 2011 Feb 22.

Monocyte migration to the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with adalimumab

M M J Herenius  1 , R M Thurlings, C A Wijbrandts, R J Bennink, S E Dohmen, C Voermans, D Wouters, E S Izmailova, D M Gerlag, B L F van Eck-Smit, P P Tak
Affiliations

Monocyte migration to the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with adalimumab

M M J Herenius et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: The mechanism of action of treatment with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) blockers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still not completely understood. The aim of this study was to test if adalimumab treatment could affect the influx of monocytes into the synovium.

Methods: A novel technique was used to analyse the migration of labelled autologous monocytes before and 14 days after initiation of adalimumab treatment using scintigraphy. CD14 monocytes were isolated from patients with RA, using a positive selection procedure with magnetic-activated cell sorting, and labelled with technetium-99m-hexamethylpropylene-amino-oxime. Scintigraphic scans were made 1, 2 and 3 h after re-infusion.

Results: As early as 14 days after the start of treatment with adalimumab a significant decrease in disease activity score evaluated in 28 joints was shown. There was no significant decrease in the influx of monocytes into the joint at this time.

Conclusions: This study indicates that adalimumab treatment does not reduce the influx of monocytes into the synovium early after initiation of treatment. As previous studies showed a rapid decrease in macrophage infiltration after TNF-antibody therapy, which could not be explained by increased cell death, this points to an important role for enhanced efflux of inflammatory cells from the synovium.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company participated in the design of the study, monitored the clinical study and participated in the analysis and interpretation of the clinical study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of monocytes in joint of interest 3 h post re-infusion per patient at day −14, 1 and 14.
Figure 2
Figure 2
DAS28 from screening to day 84.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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