Abstract

In patients with collagen diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, immune complexes circulate in the blood deposits on tissues, causing inflammation, sclerosis, and deformable symptoms accompanying joint pain. These complexes form cryogels on cooling and can be removed by cryofiltration therapy. Fibronectin in the blood is a mediator of vascular inflammation and its levels are elevated in patients with fibromyalgia. In particular, the extra domain A containing FN (EDA-FN), which is important for cryogel formation, occurs in high concentration in the plasma of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Gellan sulfate (GS) was developed to selectively remove EDA-FN from blood. Removal of EDA-FN with GS could be effective for suppressing inflammation caused by immune complex deposition such as in autoimmune disease and IgA nephropathy.

Keywords: Extra domain A-fibronectin; Cryogel; Gellan sulfate; Adsorber; Rheumatic arthritis