European Cytokine Network
MENUEffects of IL-34 on the secretion of RANKL/OPG by fibroblast-like synoviocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in rheumatoid arthritis Volume 30, issue 2, June 2019
- Key words: rheumatoid arthritis, interleukin-34, interleukin-17, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand, osteoprotegerin, matrix metalloproteinase
- DOI : 10.1684/ecn.2019.0428
- Page(s) : 67-73
- Published in: 2019
Objective: To detect the effect of interleukin (IL)-34 on the secretion of Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)/Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 by fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to investigate whether the effect is mediated by IL-17. Method: RA-FLS and RA-PBMCs were stimulated with recombinant human (rh) IL-34, with or without the IL-17 inhibitor Plumbagin. The supernatant of the culture medium was collected and the levels of RANKL, OPG, and MMP-3 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: RhIL-34 promoted RANKL secretion and inhibited OPG secretion in RA-FLS. The effect was weakened by the addition of the IL-17 inhibitor. In contrast, rhIL-34 had no significant effect on MMP-3 secretion by FLS. RhIL-34 elevated the secretion of RANKL by RA-PBMCs but not by healthy-PBMCs. Furthermore, the secretion of RANKL by RA-PBMCs reduced after the addition of the IL-17 inhibitor. OPG secretion by both RA-FLS and FLS from healthy controls was inhibited by rhIL-34, but were elevated after the addition of the IL-17 inhibitor. RhIL-34 had no significant effect on MMP-3 secretion by both RA-PBMCs and healthy-PBMCs. Conclusion: IL-34 enhances RANKL/OPG expression by RA-FLS and RA-PBMCs, and this effect is, indirectly, mediated by IL-17. This cytokine is therefore likely to to play an important role in local joint destruction and systemic osteoporosis in RA, and is therefore a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease.