Role of Oral and Intestinal Microbiota in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Summary

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory form of arthritis that causes joint pain and damage. RA attacks the lining of the joints (synovium), causing swelling that can result in aching and throbbing, and eventually deformity. Even though there have been many advances in the treatment of RA, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and other inflammatory arthritis, doctors still do not know what causes this inflammation in joints. It is likely that RA occurs as a result of a complex combination of factors, including a person's genes; lifestyle choices, such as smoking and diet; and things in a person's environment, including bacteria or viruses. This study investigates the hypothesis that bacteria living in a person's mouth and/or intestinal tract are responsible, at least in part, for the development of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The investigators believe that by killing those bacteria with antibiotics, they might be able to understand how the immune system works and, maybe, what causes RA.

Timeline

Start

2010-01

Primary completion

2013-01

Completion

2013-01

Publications

• Background Scher JU, Abramson SB. The microbiome and rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2011 Aug 23;7(10):569-78. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2011.121.
• Background Honda K, Littman DR. The microbiome in infectious disease and inflammation. Annu Rev Immunol. 2012;30:759-95. doi: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-020711-074937. Epub 2012 Jan 6.
• Background Littman DR, Pamer EG. Role of the commensal microbiota in normal and pathogenic host immune responses. Cell Host Microbe. 2011 Oct 20;10(4):311-23. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2011.10.004.
• Background Brusca SB, Abramson SB, Scher JU. Microbiome and mucosal inflammation as extra-articular triggers for rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmunity. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2014 Jan;26(1):101-7. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000008.
• Background Scher JU, Abramson SB. Periodontal disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and rheumatoid arthritis: what triggers autoimmunity and clinical disease? Arthritis Res Ther. 2013;15(5):122. doi: 10.1186/ar4360.
• Results Scher JU, Ubeda C, Equinda M, Khanin R, Buischi Y, Viale A, Lipuma L, Attur M, Pillinger MH, Weissmann G, Littman DR, Pamer EG, Bretz WA, Abramson SB. Periodontal disease and the oral microbiota in new-onset rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2012 Oct;64(10):3083-94. doi: 10.1002/art.34539.
• Results Tang W, Lu Y, Tian QY, Zhang Y, Guo FJ, Liu GY, Syed NM, Lai Y, Lin EA, Kong L, Su J, Yin F, Ding AH, Zanin-Zhorov A, Dustin ML, Tao J, Craft J, Yin Z, Feng JQ, Abramson SB, Yu XP, Liu CJ. The growth factor progranulin binds to TNF receptors and is therapeutic against inflammatory arthritis in mice. Science. 2011 Apr 22;332(6028):478-84. doi: 10.1126/science.1199214. Epub 2011 Mar 10.
• Results Scher JU, Sczesnak A, Longman RS, Segata N, Ubeda C, Bielski C, Rostron T, Cerundolo V, Pamer EG, Abramson SB, Huttenhower C, Littman DR. Expansion of intestinal Prevotella copri correlates with enhanced susceptibility to arthritis. Elife. 2013 Nov 5;2:e01202. doi: 10.7554/eLife.01202.

Drugs

Indications