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ObjectiveLinked metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities are prevalent in hyperuricemia and gout. For mechanistic insight into impact on inflammatory processes and cardiometabolic risk factors of xanthine oxidase inhibitor urate-lowering therapy (ULT) titration to target, we performed a prospective study of gout serum metabolomes from a ULT trial.MethodsSera of gout patients meeting the 2015 ACR/EULAR gout classification criteria (n = 20) and with hyperuricemia were studied at time zero and weeks 12 and 24 of febuxostat or allopurinol dose titration ULT. Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy acquired the serum spectra. Data were assessed using the Metabolon and Metaboloanalyst software. Lipolysis validation assays were done in febuxostat and/or colchicine-treated 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes.ResultsSerum urate decreased from time zero (8.21 ±1.139 SD) at weeks 12 (5.965 ± 1.734 SD) and 24 (5.655 ±1.763 SD). Top metabolites generated by changes in nucleotide and certain amino acid metabolism and polyamine pathways were enriched at 12 and 24 weeks ULT, respectively. Decreases in multiple fatty acid metabolites were observed at 24 weeks, linked with obesity. In cultured adipocytes, febuxostat significantly decreased while colchicine increased the lipolytic response to β-adrenergic-agonism or TNF.ConclusionMetabolomic profiles linked xanthine oxidase inhibitor-based ULT titration to target with reduced serum free fatty acids. In vitro validation studies revealed that febuxostat, but not colchicine, reduced lipolysis in cultured adipocytes. Since soluble urate, xanthine oxidase inhibitor treatment, and free fatty acids modulate inflammation, our findings suggest that by suppressing lipolysis, ULT could regulate inflammation in gout and comorbid metabolic and cardiovascular disease.

Objective: To assess whether circulating levels of adiponectin, leptin, and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF‐21) are associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Adipokines were measured using banked enrollment serum from patients with RA and dichotomized above/below the median value. Incident CVD events (coronary artery disease [CAD], stroke, heart failure [HF] hospitalization, venous thromboembolism, CVD‐related deaths) were identified using administrative data and the National Death Index. Covariates were derived from medical record, biorepository, and registry databases. Multivariable Cox models were generated to quantify associations between adipokine concentrations and CVD incidence. Five‐year incidence rates were predicted. Results: Among 2,598 participants, 639 (25%) had at least 1 CVD event over 19,585 patient‐years of follow‐up. High adiponectin levels were independently associated with HF hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR] 1.39 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.07–1.79], P = 0.01) and CVD‐related death (HR 1.49 [95% CI 1.16–1.92], P = 0.002) but not with other CVD events. High leptin was independently associated with CVD‐related death (HR 1.44 [95% CI 1.05–1.97], P = 0.02). High FGF‐21 levels were independently associated with lower rates of CAD (HR 0.75 [95% CI 0.58–0.97], P = 0.03). In subgroup analyses, associations between high adiponectin and leptin levels with CVD‐related death were driven by strong associations in nonobese patients. Conclusion: Adipokines are associated with HF hospitalization and CVD‐related death in patients with RA, with stronger associations in nonobese participants. These findings suggest that adipokines effectively predict clinically important outcomes in RA perhaps through an association with body composition and metabolic health. Further study is needed to determine whether adipokine measures might augment existing tools to identify RA patients at increased risk of CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The onset of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is initiated by different cell types in the liver and a number of different factors including: products derived from ethanol-induced inflammation, ethanol metabolites, and the indirect reactions from those metabolites. Ethanol oxidation results in the production of metabolites that have been shown to bind and form protein adducts, and to increase inflammatory, fibrotic and cirrhotic responses. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has many deleterious effects and plays a significant role in a number of disease processes by increasing inflammatory cytokine release. In ALD, LPS is thought to be derived from a breakdown in the intestinal wall enabling LPS from resident gut bacterial cell walls to leak into the blood stream. The ability of adducts and LPS to independently stimulate the various cells of the liver provides for a two-hit mechanism by which various biological responses are induced and result in liver injury. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to evaluate the effects of a two-hit combination of ethanol metabolites and LPS on the cells of the liver to increase inflammation and fibrosis, and play a role in the development and/or progression of ALD.