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Inflammation

Synovitis—are fats in the fire?

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 10, page 64 (2014)Cite this article

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Obesity is a known risk factor for rheumatic diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), owing at least in part to the effects of adipokines produced by adipose cells. Now, new data implicate free fatty acids (FFAs), which can also be released from adipose tissue, as proinflammatory factors relevant to rheumatic diseases.

Regarding IL-6 production, “RASFs showed a comparatively strong response to all FFAs tested, independent of their type,” explains Frommer. “On the other hand, differences in the response to various FFAs could be observed for chondrocytes and endothelial cells.” The chondrocytes and endothelial cells used were not derived from patients with rheumatic disease; thus, whether cells from such individuals would demonstrate different responsiveness remains unclear.

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References

  1. Frommer, K. W. et al. Free fatty acids: potential proinflammatory mediators in rheumatic diseases. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-203755

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  1. David Killock
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Killock, D. Synovitis—are fats in the fire?. Nat Rev Rheumatol 10, 64 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2013.199

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