The potential value of 14-3-3η in diagnosing and reflecting the bone metabolism level in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective To explore the clinical value of 14-3-3η on diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and analyze its correlation with bone metabolism levels in patients with RA. Methods Serum levels of 14-3-3η were detected using ELISA, and ROC curve was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of 14-3-3η via comparing the area under ROC curve (AUC), and determine the cut-off value. All RA patients were classified into three groups according to serum 14-3-3η levels. The serum levels of bone metabolism indices [including 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (25-(OH)D), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteocalcin (OC), aminoterminal propeptide of type Ⅰ collagen (PINP), β-crosslaps (β-CTx) and parathyroid hormone (PTH)] in RA patients with different levels of 14-3-3η were compared among the three groups. The correlations between 14-3-3η, rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrulline polypeptide antibody (anti-CCP) and bone metabolism indices were then analyzed. Results Serum levels of 14-3-3η were remarkably elevated in patients with inflammatory arthropathy, RA in particular. The AUC of 14-3-3η for RA diagnosis were 0.845, and the AUC was 0.907 when combined 14-3-3η with RF and anti-CCP. Levels of PINP and β-CTx were significantly higher in the higher 14-3-3η groups compared to those in lower serum levels of 14-3-3η protein, and their correlation coefficient (r) with 14-3-3η was 0.817 and 0.808, respectively. Conclusions 14-3-3η was helpful to the diagnosis of RA. Combination of 14-3-3η with RF and anti-CCP can improve the diagnostic rate of RA, and may well reflect the bone metabolism level of RA patients. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2018.08.10