High-sensitivity LPS-binding protein（LBP）measurement and ACPA antibody trends in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. ─ For patients undergoing DMARDs treatment ─

Abstract

LPS plays an important role in the establishment of inflammation. LPS binds to LPS binding protein（LBP）, and CD14 further binds to LPS/LBP complex to induce inflammatory signals into the cell. This study examined the relationship between serum LBP levels and ACPA antibodies in long-term（> 5 years）patients with rheumatoid arthritis. To evaluate the clinical significance of LBP as a biomarker, CRP and IL-6, which are indicators of inflammation, were simultaneously measured.

In this study, the LBP（Mean±SD）of healthy subjects, the OA group, and the RA group was measured. The measurement results of LBP were 3.7±1.3μg/mL for healthy subjects, 6.1±2.4μg/mL in the OA group, and 11.1±5.2μg/mL in the RA group, which were the highest values in the RA group with statistical significance.

Furthermore, LBP tended to increase as the stage and class progressed. In addition, a correlation（r=0.410）was observed with ACPA, and the ACPA positive cases demonstrated significantly（p < 0.002）higher LBP concentration in comparison with the ACPA negative cases.

Therefore, the measurement of high-sensitivity LBP may be one of the indicators for new pathological analysis of RA.