Background In the present study, we evaluated relationships between serum
biomarkers and clinical/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in
golimumab-treated patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Methods In the GO-
RAISE study, 356 patients with ankylosing spondylitis randomly received either
placebo (n = 78) or golimumab 50 mg or 100 mg (n = 278) injections every 4
weeks through week 24 (placebo-controlled); patients continuing GO-RAISE
received golimumab through week 252. Up to 139/125 patients had sera collected
for biomarkers/serial spine MRI scans (sagittal plane, 1.5-T scanner). Two
blinded readers employed modified ankylosing spondylitis spine magnetic
resonance imaging score for activity (ASspiMRI-a) and ankylosing spondylitis
spine magnetic resonance imaging score for chronicity. Spearman correlations
(r s) were assessed between serum biomarkers (n = 73) and Bath Ankylosing
Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), C-reactive-protein (CRP)-based
Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS), modified Stokes
Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS), and ASspiMRI scores. Serum
biomarkers predicting postbaseline spinal fatty lesion development and
inflammation were analyzed by logistic regression. Results Significant,
moderately strong correlations were observed between baseline inflammatory
markers interleukin (IL)-6, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, complement
component 3 (C3), CRP, haptoglobin, and serum amyloid-P and baseline ASDAS (r
s = 0.39–0.66, p ≤ 0.01). Only baseline leptin significantly correlated with
ASDAS improvement at week 104 (r s = 0.55, p = 0.040), and only baseline IL-6
significantly predicted mSASSS week 104 change (β = 0.236, SE = 0.073, p =
0.002, model R 2 = 0.093). By logistic regression, baseline leptin, C3, and
tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 correlated with new fatty
lesions per spinal MRI at week 14 and week 104 (both p < 0.01). Changes in
serum C3 levels at week 4 (r s = 0.55, p = 0.001) and week 14 (r s = 0.49, p =
0.040) significantly correlated with BASDAI improvement at week 14. Baseline
IL-6 and TIMP-1 (r s = −0.63, −0.67; p < 0.05) and reductions at week 4 in
IL-6 (r s = 0.61, p < 0.05) and C3 (r s = 0.72; p < 0.05) significantly
correlated with week 14 ASspiMRI-a improvement. Conclusions Extensive serum
biomarker multiparametric analyses in golimumab-treated patients with
ankylosing spondylitis demonstrated few correlations with disease activity or
MRI changes; IL-6 weakly correlated with radiographic progression