Brentano F et al. (2007) Pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor/visfatin, a new marker of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis with proinflammatory and matrix-degrading activities. Arthritis Rheum 56: 2829–2839

Pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF; also known as visfatin) levels are elevated in the serum and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although upregulation of PBEF has been shown to occur via STAT-3-mediated interleukin (IL)-6 signaling, the role of PBEF in joint inflammation has not yet been determined. Brentano et al. isolated synovial fibroblasts (SFs) from patients with RA to study the role of PBEF in the rheumatoid joint.

SFs produced increased levels of PBEF in response to Toll-like receptor ligands, and cytokines IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor, which are involved in signaling pathways of the innate immune system. In SFs from patients with RA, PBEF regulated the production of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 1 and MMP3, matrix-degrading enzymes linked to the progressive destruction of articular cartilage in joints of patients with RA. PBEF also activated the transcription factors nuclear factor-κB and activator protein-1, which are involved in the initiation and maintenance of inflammatory responses. Finally, PBEF levels correlated with levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein and with the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints in patients with RA.

This study, therefore, identifies PBEF as a marker of the severity of inflammation in patients with RA. The authors hypothesize that PBEF might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of this debilitating disease.