Comparison on Gene Expression Profile of Periphery CD_4~+ Positive Cells in Active and Stable Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis / 中国中医药信息杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the difference of gene profile between Cold syndrome and Heat syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine in stable and active stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Peripheral CD4+ lymphocytes from RA cases with defined Cold or Heat syndrome in TCM and healthy persons were obtained. Genechip analytical techniques were applied for analysis. Results There are 63 genes found different between active stage and stable stage of RA patients, and they refer to immune responses and signal transduction mainly. 48 genes were found different between Cold syndrome and Heat syndrome in stable stage of RA patients, and only 4 gene was found in the 63 genes for stable and active stage comparison, they are mainly referring to functional metabolism. 59 genes were found to be different among Cold syndrome and Heat syndrome in active stage of RA patients, and among them, no gene was same as in the 48 genes for Cold and Heat syndrome comparison in stable stage of RA, nor in the 63 genes for stable and active stage comparison. Conclusion The genes referred with Cold or Heat syndrome in the stable and active stage of RA are different with those genes referring to the difference of gene profile between active stage and active stage of RA, and further suggest that differentiation theory in traditional Chinese medicine have solid foundation in gene expression profile.