In OAK patients, the concentrations of IL-1RA, HGF, sTNF-R1 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 were significantly higher in group Z, and only IL-1α was significantly higher in group J. However, the total amount of IL-1RA and MMP-13 contained in the APS of group Z was significantly higher than that in group J, whereas the total amounts of IL-1α, TNF-α, TNF-β, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), sTNF-R2, sFas and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 were higher in group J (Fig. 2). Here, LTA is linked to autoimmune polyendocrinopathy.