Evaluation of the relationship between serum netrin-1 level and patient characteristics in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are generally seropositive, but 15-20% of patients with RA may be seronegative. Diagnosing patients with RA sometimes requires long and challenging research, and new diagnostic biomarkers are needed. This study aimed to investigate the use of netrin-1 as a biomarker in the differential diagnosis of RA from healthy controls and the relationships between netrin-1 and RA’s disease activity scores and joint erosions. Methods: The study group included 60 RA patients, and the control group included 41 healthy volunteers. Serum netrin-1 was measured using an ELISA kit with the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay method. The RA Disease Impact (RAID) score was used to determine changes in quality of life, and the disease activity score-28 (DAS-28) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) were used to assess disease activity. Results: In the comparison of netrin-1 serum levels, netrin-1 levels were found to be similar between RA and healthy controls [64.4 (35.8-551.4) and 65 (35.8-436.6), p=0.786, respectively]. No significant correlation was found between netrin-1 levels and disease indices (CDAI, DAS-28 ESR, RAID, and DAS-28 CRP) (p>0.05). Conclusion: Netrin-1 is not higher in the serum of RA patients compared to healthy controls, and its levels have no correlation with disease indices of RA.