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Vitamin K2 administration is associated with decreased disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Modern Rheumatology

Abstract

Objectives

Vitamin K2 (VitK2) is reported to induce not only bone mineralization of human osteoblasts and apoptosis of osteoclasts, but also apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial cells, while its clinical effect on disease activity of RA remains unknown.

Methods

158 female RA patients (mean age 62.5 years) who had not been treated with warfarin, biologics, or teriparatide were enrolled in this study. VitK2 (45 mg/day) was administered in 70 patients with a serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin level of >4.5 ng/ml or with decreased bone mineral density in spite of the treatment with other anti-osteoporosis medications, regardless of RA disease activity. A longitudinal study was conducted in 52 patients who were additionally treated with VitK2 without changing their other medications for three months.

Results

In the cross-sectional study, as compared to the VitK2-naïve group (n = 88), the VitK2-treated group (n = 70) showed lower serum CRP (1.7 ± 0.2 vs. 0.5 ± 0.1 mg/dl; P < 0.001), MMP-3 (220.4 ± 21.9 vs. 118.0 ± 14.4 ng/ml; P < 0.001), and DAS28-CRP (2.9 ± 0.1 vs. 2.4 ± 0.1; P < 0.05). In the longitudinal study, patients who were additionally treated with VitK2 showed significant decreases in serum CRP (1.1 ± 0.2 to 0.6 ± 0.2 mg/dl; P < 0.001), MMP-3 (160.1 ± 25.6 to 125.0 ± 17.8 ng/ml; P < 0.05), and DAS28-CRP (3.1 ± 0.2 to 2.4 ± 0.1; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

VitK2 may have the potential to improve disease activity besides osteoporosis in RA.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Tadashi Koga (Biometrics Department, Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd., Kagoshima, Japan) and Sayaka Aoki (Department of Medical Informatics at Osaka University Medical Hospital) for their excellent help with the statistical analysis.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Kosuke Ebina, Kenrin Shi, Shoichi Kaneshiro, Tokimitsu Morimoto, Kota Koizumi & Hideki Yoshikawa

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, National Hospital Organization Osaka Minami Medical Center, 2-1 Kidohigashi, Kawachinagano, Osaka, 586-8521, Japan

    Makoto Hirao

  3. Department of Rheumatology, National Hospital Organization Osaka Minami Medical Center, 2-1 Kidohigashi, Kawachinagano, Osaka, 586-8521, Japan

    Jun Hashimoto

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  1. Kosuke Ebina
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Correspondence to Kenrin Shi.

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Ebina, K., Shi, K., Hirao, M. et al. Vitamin K2 administration is associated with decreased disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Mod Rheumatol 23, 1001–1007 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-012-0789-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10165-012-0789-4

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