Detection of Apoptotic DNA in Sera of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients With and Without Ocular Disease

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose. Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a high incidence of ocular disease. Bacterial components can be detected in synovial fluid. Bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan can induce experimental arthritis and uveitis and is apoptogenic. The sera of rheumatoid patients with and without ocular disease were analyzed for apoptotic DNA as a parameter of bacterial cell wall disease. Materials and Methods: The DNA was extracted from multiple serum samples from 19 RA patients (8 with history of ocular disease) and analyzed for the presence or absence of DNA ladders. Results. DNA ladders were detected in one or more serum samples from 8 of the 19 RA patients. Apoptotic DNA was not detected in serum from 5 normal controls. Three of the 8 RA patients that were positive for apoptotic DNA had non-medication associated ocular disease. The detection of apoptotic DNA in the RA patient serum was apparently associated with differences in types and levels of serum DNase. Conclusions. We report apoptotic DNA in sera of patients with RA with and without ocular disease. The incidence of apoptosis may be under appreciated in RA patients since the detection of apoptotic DNA was associated with serum DNase activity. Taken together, the results suggest that RA and ocular disease may be associated with apoptogenic disease. Identification of the mechanism responsible for the apoptotic DNA may lead to better treatment of RA and the associated ocular disease.

Keywords: apoptosis/cell death • bacterial disease • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: sys