Assessment of immunological profile in ankylosing spondylitis patients following a clinical trial with guluronic acid (G2013), as a new NSAID with immunomodulatory properties

The present research aims to study the effects of guluronic acid (G2013) on gene expression levels of the T-bet, GATA3, RORγt, AHR, and FOXP3 transcription factors and on gene expression of their related cytokines following oral administration of this drug in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. In this trial (clinical trial identifier: IRCT2016091813739N4), 14 AS patients and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were enrolled. The level of transcription factors’ gene expression and expression of their related cytokines were measured by quantitative real-time PCR, before and 3 months after G2013 therapy. Our data indicated that the gene expression levels of the T-bet and IFN-γ were not significantly reduced during 12 weeks of treatment with G2013 ( p > 0.05). The findings showed that the gene expression levels of the GATA3 and IL-4 increased significantly during 12 weeks of treatment with G2013 ( p