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 by glycosylation and oxidation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum and urinary pentosidine levels and the activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Using HPLC with column switching, we measured pentosidine in serum and urine from 77 patients with RA and 62 normal control subjects. The clinical features, blood biochemistry and activity of inflammation were examined in RA patients. Serum and urinary pentosidine in RA were significantly higher than in controls. Pentosidine significantly correlated with age, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor, joint score and Lansbury Index in RA. The levels of pentosidine were higher in patients with active RA than in those with inactive RA. Serum and urine levels of pentosidine correlated with the activity of RA, and serum and urinary pentosidine may be a significant and novel marker for evaluating the disease status and the activity of RA.