Introduction: Prolidase, cytosolic exopeptidase, is important in the final step of degradation in collagen metabolism and cell growth. The aim of this study is to investigate the prolidase enzyme levels as a disease activity indicator in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Materials and methods: The study included 60 patients diagnosed with RA according to the 2010 RA Classification Criteria and 30 healthy controls. The patients were divided into subgroups according to the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS 28), as low disea- se activity (DAS 28 ≤ 3,2) and high disease activity (DAS 28 > 5,1). Serum prolidase activity (SPA) was determined by a photometric method based on the measurement of the proline levels produced by prolidase.
Results: There were significant differences between RA patients and healthy controls with respect to prolidase activity. Prolidase activity was significantly higher in the patients with RA than those of the controls (P = 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was found between the high and low disease activity groups. In correlative analysis, prolidase positively corre- lated with rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies.
Conclusion: Increased prolidase levels are related to increased oxidative damage, bone and collagen turnover. SPA in clinical practice may be a useful method for predicting the joint erosion and progression of the disease.
Collagen, Erosion, Prolidase, Rheumatoid Arthritis
10.19193/0393-6384_2016_2_46