CCL2 and metabolic syndrome: In recent work, significantly reduced miR-146 expression was found in the subset of ankylosing spondylitis patients with metabolic syndrome, which was further associated with increased mRNA levels of transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1 and secreted cytokines (MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1α/CCL3, IL-8/CXCL8 and IL-1β) (64).