Background: Vitamin D affects the lncRNA chemokine ‎receptor 7 (CCR7) and ‎matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expression levels in many ‎inflammatory ‎conditions. The collaboration between CCR7 and MMP9 has been ‎studied in many ‎cancers but not in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).‎
Objective: To dissect the potential effect of 25-OH vitamin D ‎deficiency on CCR7 ‎and MMP9 in RA patients.‎
Subjects and Methods: This study included 120 participants, 60 RA patients, and 60 ‎healthy volunteers. History, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations were ‎performed. The molecular analysis includes quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for ‎revealing CCR7 levels, while the ELISA technique was used to measure ‎25-‎OH ‎vitamin D and MMP9 levels.‎
Results: The present study revealed that the significant decrease in total 25-OH ‎Vitamin D levels in RA patients was significantly correlated with the increased serum ‎levels of the lncRNA CCR7 with fair sensitivity and high specificity. Combining ‎25-‎OH ‎vitamin D with CCR7 to predict RA seems to have little effect. Similar findings ‎were noted with MMP9.‎
Conclusions: We promote serum CCR7 and MMP9 to be widely investigated as ‎possible noninvasive biomarkers for RA. We suggested their expression could be ‎modulated by controlling ‎25-OH ‎vitamin D levels.‎