The Role of Tenascin-C in the Physiopathology of Familial Mediterranean Fever

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory disease common in the Mediterranean basin. It has been determined that tenascin-C level is increased in rheumatic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis. However, the role of tenascin-C has not been investigated in FMF. This study aimed to investigate serum tenascin-C levels in FMF patients and to investigate possible relationships between them. Materials and methods: About 38 patients diagnosed with FMF and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. The patient's sex, age, clinical symptoms, physical examination, and laboratory results were recorded. Serum tenascin-C levels were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: The serum tenascin-C levels were significantly lower in the FMF patients (10297 +/- 8107 pg/ml) compared to the healthy control group (29461 +/- 13252 pg/ml) (p < 0.001). In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, when the cut-off point was chosen as 11076 pg/ml, sensitivity was 77.1% and specificity was 91.9%. When the cut-off point was chosen as 19974 pg/ml, sensitivity was 91.4% and specificity was 75.7%. It was determined that the serum tenascin-C levels did not correlate with age, gender, and laboratory parameters in the healthy control group and FMF patients (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This is the first study investigating tenascin-C levels in FMF. Tenascin-C levels in FMF patients were lower than in healthy controls. Low tenascin-C levels in FMF, which are high in other chronic rheumatic diseases, may be a valuable indicator. Therefore, serum tenascin-C level seems to be a useful marker in distinguishing FMF patients from healthy individuals.