Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
Dynamics of inflammation-associated plasma proteins following faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with psoriatic arthritis and healthy controls: exploratory findings from the FLORA trial
An erratum to this article was published (RMD Open, 12 Feb 2024 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
Patients with active PsA have a distinct immunological plasma protein signature compared with HC pre-FMT. FMT affects several of these disease markers, including sustained elevation of IFN-γ.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with moderate-to-high peripheral PsA disease activity despite at least 3 months of MTX
- Participants
- 31 PsA patients
- Comparison
- Single gastroscopic-guided healthy donor faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) vs sham in PsA; healthy controls at baseline
- FMTn = 15
- Shamn = 16reference
- Healthy controls (HC)n = 31
- Primary endpoint
- 92 inflammation-associated plasma proteins (Olink Target-96 Inflammation panel)
- Follow-up
- Baseline, week 4, 12 and 26
Methodological detailsexploratory, double-blind, sham-controlled, 26-week
- Exploratory
- Double-blind
- Sham-controlled
- 26-week
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Plasma protein levels, FMT vs sham
- Largest positive FMT effect on IFN-γ, Axin-1 and CCL25; largest negative on CCL19 and IL-6
- FMT vs Sham: P = 0.002
- FMT vs Sham: P = 0.011
- FMT vs Sham: P = 0.024
- FMT vs Sham: P = 0.038
- FMT vs Sham: P = 0.042
Further findings
PsA vs HC pre-FMT · baseline
- Proteins differing significantly (adjusted p<0.05)
- 26
- Proteins elevated in PsA: IL-6, CCL20, CCL19, CDCP1, FGF-21, HGF, IFN-γ, IL-18R1, monocyte chemotactic protein 3, IL-2
- 10
Within-FMT change across all timepoints
- Proteins changed significantly in FMT (tumour necrosis factor (TNF), CDCP1, IFN-γ, TWEAK, SLAMF1, CD8A, CD5, Flt3L, CCL25, FGF-23, CD6, caspase-8)
- 12
Original publication
Dynamics of inflammation-associated plasma proteins following faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with psoriatic arthritis and healthy controls: exploratory findings from the FLORA trial. RMD Open. Published 30 January 2024. doi:10.
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