Protein Linked To Accelerating Rheumatoid Arthritis

A new study published in the December issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism
says that a protein called Type II Collagen (CII) could have a vital
role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a very painful
inflammatory joint condition.


This protein was found by a team of researchers at the Queen Mary's
School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of London. It
appears that the protein modifies itself and then proceeds to
systematically destroy the body's immune system and concurrently
increases inflammation of the joints. These findings could be a pointer
towards the development of new drugs to combat the disease.


Type II Collagen (CII) is a major protein found abundantly in
cartilage, bone and tendons. The team felt that CII could trigger RA
when it is stressed by inflammation. They say that when inflammatory
cells enter normal tissue they tend to overuse the oxygen supply. This
means that proteins are deprived of this vital element and consequently
undergo some modification. To prove this point they took blood samples
from 31 male and female RA patients and from 41 patients who had other
inflammatory conditions like osteoporosis, back pain and gout. All of
these samples were subjected to exposure by CII protein taken from cows
as well as a modified CII. This is typically present in rheumatic
inflammation. The researchers found that CII did not bind in the blood
samples of RA patients. But 45 percent of the RA blood samples formed
immune complexes with the altered form of the protein. The researchers
say that CII serves to accelerate and already worse condition in RA.
"Our study has important implications for the further study and
enhanced understanding of the pathology of RA," said study author Ahuva
Nissim. "In the future, understanding of this process will help us
develop specific therapeutics which will target only the inflamed
joints."