Relationship between pentosidine levels in serum and urine and activity in rheumatoid arthritis

Pentosidine is one of the advanced glycation end-products and is formed byglycosylation and oxidation. The aim of this study is to investigate therelationship between serum and urinary pentosidine levels and the activityof rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Using HPLC with column switching, we measuredpentosidine in serum and urine from 77 patients with RA and 62 normalcontrol subjects. The clinical features, blood biochemistry and activity ofinflammation were examined in RA patients. Serum and urinary pentosidine inRA were significantly higher than in controls. Pentosidine significantlycorrelated with age, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentationrate (ESR), rheumatoid factor, joint score and Lansbury Index in RA. Thelevels of pentosidine were higher in patients with active RA than in thosewith inactive RA. Serum and urine levels of pentosidine correlated with theactivity of RA, and serum and urinary pentosidine may be a significant andnovel marker for evaluating the disease status and the activity of RA.