The relationship of plasma netrin-1 level with disease activity and other parameters in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Aim of this study was to evaluate plasma netrin-1 levels in axial spondyloarthritis and to investigate relations between disease activity and other parameters. Axial spondyloarthritis is a term defining a form of the spondyloarthritis in which axial skeleton is predominantly affected. Netrin-1 is a laminin-like matrix protein belonging to the axonal guide protein family, controlling neuronal migration in the embryonic period and inhibiting leukocyte aggregation to provide neuronal protection in the tissue. Study was conducted cross-sectional. Patients with axial spondyloarthritis between ages of 18–65 who applied to our outpatient clinic were enrolled upon consent. A control group was formed by healthy volunteers. Demographics, clinic, laboratory, imaging data and disease activity scores were recorded. Spondyloarthritis patients were subgrouped as ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Serum netrin-1 was measured by a commercial kit in patient and control groups. A total of 60 spondyloarthritis patients and 56 healthy controls were enrolled. No significant differences in serum netrin-1 levels were observed among patient groups and controls. Netrin-1 levels had a significant positive correlation with disease activity parameters and found to be higher in patients with higher disease activity. Receiver operating curve analyses revealed fair discriminative power for active disease. Our results suggest a utility for netrin-1 as a novel biomarker for detecting disease activity in spondyloarthritis, for the first time to the best of our knowledge.