Effects of bile salt-stimulated lipase on blood cells and associations with disease activity in human inflammatory joint disorders

The bile salt-stimulated lipase (BSSL) was originally recognized as a lipolytic enzyme expressed by the exocrine pancreas and in some species, notably humans, the lactating mammary gland, being secreted into the duodenum and with the mother’s milk, respectively. However, BSSL is also present in the blood and has been assigned additional functions, even beyond the gastrointestinal tract. Conventional BSSL knockout mice are protected from developing disease in animal models of arthritis, and antibodies directed towards BSSL prevent or mitigate disease in similar models. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of BSSL as a newly discovered player in inflammation and specifically in inflammatory joint disorders. As part of mechanism of action, we here show that BSSL is secreted by neutrophils, interacts with monocytes and stimulates their migration in vitro. An anti-BSSL antibody that blocks the human BSSL-monocyte interaction was shown to simultaneously prevent the signaling pathway by which BSSL induce cell migration. Moreover, in this cohort study we show that BSSL levels are significantly higher in blood samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis compared to healthy controls. The BSSL levels in patients’ blood also correlated with disease activity scores and established inflammatory markers. Hence, although the mode of action is not yet fully clarified, we conclude that BSSL could be considered a proinflammatory component in the innate immune system and thus a possible novel target for treatment of chronic inflammation.