Potential Effects of Interleukins on the Pathogenesis of Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

• Main Authors: Ling-Yun Xu, Wen-Ming Zhang, Min Xia, Lan-Fang Cao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-10-01
• Series: Pediatrics and Neonatology
• Subjects: disease activity score 28; IL-17; IL-6; systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis; visual analogue scale
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875957215001850

To analyze the correlation of cytokines with clinical inflammatory indexes in systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SOJIA). Methods: A total of 30 active SOJIAs, 30 remission SOJIAs, and 20 normal controls were enrolled. The clinical inflammatory indexes such as tender joints counts, swelling joints counts, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, visual analogue scale (VAS), and disease activity score 28 (DAS28) were detected. The serum cytokines interleukin (IL)-17, IL-6, IL-21, interferon (IFN)-γ, and IL-4 levels were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The correlation coefficients between these cytokines and two clinical indexes (VAS and DAS28) in the active SOJIA group were calculated with the Spearman's method. Results: The serum IL-17 and IL-6 levels in active SOJIA group were significantly increased compared with those in the remission SOJIA group and control group (p < 0.05), and the serum IL-21, IFN-γ, and IL-4 levels showed no obvious difference. In the active SOJIA group, the Spearman coefficients between IL-17 and DAS28, IL-17 and IL-6, IL-6 and DAS28, and between IL-17 and VAS were 0.686 (p = 0.000), 0.833 (p = 0.000), 0.633 (p = 0.000), and 0.524 (p = 0.003), respectively. There was no correlation between cytokines of IL-21, IFN-γ, and IL-4 and the clinical indexes of DAS28 and VAS. Furthermore, in the other two groups, none of the five cytokines exhibited an association with DAS28 or VAS. Conclusion: IL-6 and IL-17 were significantly correlated with DAS28 and VAS, and they might be considered as therapeutic targets for the treatment of SOJIA.