Adalimumab Treatment Effects on Inflammation and Adipose Tissue Mitochondrial Respiration in Hidradenitis Suppurativa

ABSTRACT Objective Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α is a proinflammatory marker and has been shown to affect mitochondrial function in different tissues. We investigated the effect on adipose tissue (AT) inflammation and mitochondrial respiration in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) after 12 weeks of treatment with adalimumab, a TNF‐α inhibitor. Methods We sampled blood and an AT biopsy from 13 patients with HS and 10 control subjects after an overnight fast. The patients were retested after at least 12 weeks of treatment with adalimumab (40 mg/week). We measured macrophage content and mitochondrial respiration in the AT and interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐10, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP), interferon‐γ, TNF‐α, adiponectin and leptin in plasma. Clinical scores and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) were assessed. Results We found a higher anti‐inflammatory macrophage content (CD206+) in the patient group compared with the control group, but no differences between before and after the intervention. No difference in mitochondrial respiration was observed. We observed higher plasma IL‐6 and hsCRP concentrations in patients with HS compared to controls, with no differences before and after the intervention. The difference between controls and HS patients was abolished after the intervention. HS patients improved their DLQI after the intervention with no change in clinical scores. Conclusion Treatment with adalimumab in patients with HS does not alter AT inflammation or mitochondrial respiratory capacity; however, we did see a higher content of anti‐inflammatory macrophages in the patient group compared with the control group. Adalimumab led to improvements in self‐reported quality of life but did not yield statistically significant changes in clinical scores. A key finding was that mitochondrial respiration in HS patients was similar to healthy controls and was not altered by the treatment. The macrophage profile in adipose tissue exhibited more anti‐inflammatory characteristics than in healthy controls; however, this did not relate to systemic low‐grade inflammation, and adalimumab had no impact on these measures.