Article · Volume 5, Issue 3 · pp. 193–196

Effects of glucocorticoids and tumor necrosis factor‑alpha inhibitors on both clinical and molecular parameters in patients with Takayasu arteritis

Raffaele Serra¹, Raffaele Grande¹, Gianluca Buffone¹, Edoardo Scarcello², Fabio Tripodi³, Pierandrea Rende⁴, Luca Gallelli⁴, Stefano de Franciscis¹

¹Departments of Medical and Surgical Science, Interuniversity Center of Phlebolymphology, International Research and Educational Program in Clinical and Experimental Biotechnology, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
²Department of Surgery, Unit of Vascular Surgery, Annunziata Hospital of Cosenza, Cosenza, Italy.
³Department of Pharmacological, Biological and Chemical Science, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
⁴Department of Health Science, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effect of sequential treatment with glucocorticoid and tumor necrosis factor‑alpha inhibitors in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA).Materials and Methods: In five patients with TA, the effects of the sequential treatment with prednisone for 5‑7 months and then with adalimumab (ADA) + methotrexate (MTX) or infliximab + MTX, or with ADA only, for 12 months on both clinical and laboratory findings were evaluated.Results: All treatments improved both symptoms and laboratory parameters without the development of side‑effects.Conclusions: It was hypothesized that MMP‑9 and neutrophil gelatinase‑associated lipocalin could be markers of the response to the treatments.

Keywords: Adalimumab; infliximab; methotrexate; matrix metalloproteinases-9; neutrophil gelatinase‑associated lipocalin; takayasu arteritis

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