ArticleBMC rheumatology2020
A systematic review of CXCL13 as a biomarker of disease and treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis.
Article in BMC rheumatology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Insights into the pathogenesis of rheumatic and immune diseases from single-cell omics.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- STAT1 transcriptionally activates CXCL13 to promote cell inflammation and proliferation and inhibit cell apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- CCR2Discovery immunology · 2026Article
- Immunopathogenic Mechanisms in Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Incessant Loop of Immunity to Fibrosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Validation of a model of rheumatoid arthritis using mice reconstituted with patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Disease models & mechanisms · 2025Article
- The roles of tertiary lymphoid structures in orchestrating immune responses in peripheral organs.Inflammation and regeneration · 2025Review
- Filgotinib Modulates Inflammation-Associated Peripheral Blood Protein Biomarkers in Adults with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis and Prior Inadequate Response to Methotrexate.Rheumatology and therapy · 2023Article
- Tailored therapeutic decision of rheumatoid arthritis using proteomic strategies: how to start and when to stop?Clinical proteomics · 2023Review
- Neurosyphilis Presenting as Syndrome of Limbic Encephalitis Mimicking Herpes Simplex Virus Neuro-Infection Diagnosed Using CXCL13 Point-of-Care Assay-Case Report.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- A review of the pleiotropic actions of the IFN-inducible CXC chemokine receptor 3 ligands in the synovial microenvironment.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2023Review
- Prediction of Drug Targets for Specific Diseases Leveraging Gene Perturbation Data: A Machine Learning Approach.Pharmaceutics · 2022Article
- Role of the CXCL13/CXCR5 Axis in Autoimmune Diseases.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- CXCL13/CXCR5 axis facilitates endothelial progenitor cell homing and angiogenesis during rheumatoid arthritis progression.Cell death & disease · 2021Article
- Serum, but Not Saliva, CXCL13 Levels Associate With Infiltrating CXCL13+ Cells in the Minor Salivary Gland Lesions and Other Histologic Parameters in Patients With Sjögren's Syndrome.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe B cell chemoattractant CXCL13 is a promising biomarker in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with a plausible role in supporting diagnosis, monitoring disease activity and as a prognostic value. It is a key chemokine driving the formation of lymphoid follicles within the inflamed synovium. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the role of CXCL13 as a viable biomarker in RA.
methodsWe conducted a systematic literature review of all published cohort and randomised controlled trials evaluating the role of CXCL13 in RA. The primary outcomes were; i) CXCL13 levels in RA patients compared to healthy controls, ii) the correlation between CXCL13 and markers of disease activity, and iii) the association between CXCL13 and treatment response.
resultsThe search produced 278 articles, of which 31 met the inclusion criteria. Of the 12 studies evaluating CXCL13 expression in early or established RA, all reported higher levels than that seen in healthy controls. Twelve of sixteen studies reported a weakly positive correlation between CXCL13 and markers of disease activity including DAS28 and swollen joint count, with rho values between 0.20-0.67. In 2 studies, CXCL13 levels correlated with ultrasonographic evidence of synovitis. Eighteen studies assessed CXCL13 in response to therapeutic intervention. The majority signified a fall in levels in response to treatment including biologics and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibition. In some, this reduction was only seen in treatment responders. High CXCL13 levels predicted failure to achieve disease remission with csDMARDs. The evidence for treatment prediction with biologics was conflicting.
conclusionDespite evidence to suggest a role in diagnosing RA and in detecting synovitis, the heterogeneity of studies included in this review limit our ability to draw robust conclusions. At present there are inadequate results to justify the routine use of CXCL13 as a biomarker in RA routine clinical practice.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.