Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2013 Aug;28(8):1145-53. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.8.1145. Epub 2013 Jul 31.
Interleukin (IL)-33 is an important mediator of innate immunity. Behcet's disease (BD) is an autoinflammatory disorder characterized by hyperactivity of the innate immune response. We measured serum levels of IL-33 and its receptor soluble ST2 (sST2) in patients with BD to investigate their association with disease activity. Serum levels of both IL-33 and sST2 were higher in patients with BD compared with those in normal controls (IL-33: 594.48±175.04 pg/mL in BD and 224.23±56.64 pg/mL in normal controls [P=0.048], sST2: 99.01±15.92 pg/mL in BD and 23.56±3.25 pg/mL in normal controls [P<0.001]). IL-33 and sST2 expression in skin tissue, as shown by immunohistochemistry, was higher in patients with BD compared with that in the normal controls. Serum sST2 level correlated significantly with the BD currently active form (BDCAF), Iranian BD dynamic activity measure (IBDDAM), erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. Multiple linear regression showed that serum sST2 was an independent factor associated with IBBDAM (regression coefficient, 0.374; P=0.004), and BDCAF (regression coefficient, 0.236; P=0.047). These results demonstrate that IL-33 and sST2 are highly expressed in patients with BD and that serum sST2 is an independent factor associated with IBDDAM and BDCAF, suggesting a potential role for sST2 as a surrogate marker of disease activity in patients with BD.
白细胞介素 (IL)-33 是先天免疫的重要介质。白塞病 (BD) 是一种以先天免疫反应过度活跃为特征的自身炎症性疾病。我们测量了 BD 患者的血清 IL-33 及其受体可溶性 ST2（sST2）水平，以研究它们与疾病活动的关系。BD 患者的血清 IL-33 和 sST2 水平均高于正常对照组（IL-33：BD 为 594.48±175.04 pg/mL，正常对照组为 224.23±56.64 pg/mL [P=0.048]，sST2：BD 为 99.01±15.92 pg/mL，正常对照组为 23.56±3.25 pg/mL [P<0.001]）。免疫组织化学显示，BD 患者皮肤组织中的 IL-33 和 sST2 表达高于正常对照组。血清 sST2 水平与 BD 目前的活动形式（BDCAF）、伊朗 BD 动态活动量表（IBDDAM）、红细胞沉降率和 C 反应蛋白显著相关。多元线性回归显示，血清 sST2 是与 IBDDAM 相关的独立因素（回归系数 0.374，P=0.004），也是与 BDCAF 相关的独立因素（回归系数 0.236，P=0.047）。这些结果表明，IL-33 和 sST2 在 BD 患者中高度表达，血清 sST2 是与 IBDDAM 和 BDCAF 相关的独立因素，提示 sST2 可能作为 BD 患者疾病活动的替代标志物。
