RTD-1 therapeutically normalizes synovial gene signatures in rat autoimmune arthritis and suppresses proinflammatory mediators in RA synovial fibroblasts

Rhesus theta defensin-1 (RTD-1), a macrocyclic immunomodulatory host defense peptide from Old World monkeys, is therapeutic in pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) rat model. RNA-sequence (RNA-seq) analysis was used to interrogate the changes in gene expression in PIA rats diseased model. To, study the anti-arthritic mechanisms of systemic RTD-1, the differentially expressed genes between synovial tissues of rats with pristane induced arthritis (PIA) and naïve animals were identified and the effect of RTD-1 treatment for 1, 3 or 5 days was then evaluated. The results indicate a regulation of arthritogenic gene networks in a manner that correlates temporally with clinical resolution of rat PIA.