Avaliação de parâmetros clínicos e quimiocinas antes e após tratamento com hidroxicloroquina em pacientes com artrose sintomática de joelhos

Abstract

This study assessed the clinical and biological responses of patients with primary and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) to hydroxychloroquine. (HCQ) Clinical impact was assessed through Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index (WOMAC), Lequesne-algofunctional index, and visual analog scale (VAS). Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-8 (IL 8), interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), and monokine induced by interferon-gamma (MIG) serum levels were obtained for assessment of the biological impact. 29 patients diagnosed with symptomatic knee OA were divided in two groups: 16 received HCQ 400mg/day and 13 received placebo. The study lasted 16 weeks. Two control groups were formed: the first one composed of 10 asymptomatic subjects over 60 years of age, without any clinico-radiological evidence of knee OA (elderly controls), and the second one composed of 10 healthy adults under 40 years of age (young controls). Serum levels of MCP-1, IL-8, IP-10, and MIG chemokines were measured through cytometry (cytometric bead array) at baseline in all groups, and after four months in the 29 OA patients. WOMAC, Lequesne, and VAS results did not significantly differ among the groups. Chemokine levels before and after treatment with chloroquine did not differ in OA patients. The young controls had lower levels of IP-10 (p = 0.02), MCP-1 (p = 0.04), MIG (p < 0.0001), and IL-8 (p < 0.0001), compared to the other two groups. Hydroxychloroquine for four months did not alter serum levels of MCP-1, IL-8, IP-10 and MIG chemokines in symptomatic patients with knee OA. However, OA patients and elderly controls had higher levels of all chemokines studied as compared to young controls (chiefly MCP-1 and IL-8 in the OA group compared with young controls), pointing to an increase in the serum levels of chemokines with aging. Obesity was shown to influence OA, not only because of the high prevalence found, but also because of the statistically significant difference in body mass index (BMI) found between elderly controls and the OA group (p < 0.001). This is the first study to correlate knee OA with serum chemokines before and after chloroquine use. Because joint damage might lead to joint limited chemokine increase without any serum change, further studies involving synovial fluid analysis are warranted.