Wen Yun, Zeng Zhiyu, Gui Chun, Li Lang, Li Wenting
Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning Guangxi, People's Republic of China.
Department of Cardiology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning Guangxi, People's Republic of China.
Cardiovasc Pathol. 2015 Nov-Dec;24(6):382-7. doi: 10.1016/j.carpath.2015.07.006. Epub 2015 Jul 31.
Autoimmunity plays a critical role in the development of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Recent studies have linked Th17 cells to the autoimmune mechanism associated with RHD. This study aimed to investigate changes in Th17 cell-related cytokine expression in acute and chronic RHD.
We established a Lewis rat model of experimental RHD, which was induced by inactivated Group A streptococci and complete Freund's adjuvant. After 7- and 24-week intervention treatments, we measured serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and IL-6, key cytokines associated with Th17 cells, using a Luminex liquichip method, and levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in heart tissues using immunohistochemical assays. Moreover, expression levels of IL-17, IL-21, IL-6, and IL-23 in mitral valve tissues of human RHD patients were also measured using immunohistochemistry.
Compared with the normal control group, serum IL-17 and IL-6 concentrations were significantly increased, and the expression levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in the mitral valve were also significantly increased in 7- or 24-week RHD rats (P<.017). Compared with the control group, expression of IL-17, IL-21, IL-6, and IL-23 in mitral valve tissues was significantly increased in RHD patients (P<.05).
Our study suggested that the increased expression of Th17 cell-associated cytokines might play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of RHD.
自身免疫在风湿性心脏病（RHD）的发展中起关键作用。最近的研究将辅助性T细胞17（Th17细胞）与RHD相关的自身免疫机制联系起来。本研究旨在调查急性和慢性RHD中Th17细胞相关细胞因子表达的变化。
我们建立了由灭活的A组链球菌和完全弗氏佐剂诱导的实验性RHD的Lewis大鼠模型。在进行7周和24周的干预治疗后，我们使用Luminex液相芯片法测量血清中白细胞介素17（IL-17）和IL-6的水平，这两种细胞因子是与Th17细胞相关的关键细胞因子，并使用免疫组织化学分析测量心脏组织中IL-17和IL-6的水平。此外，还使用免疫组织化学方法测量了RHD患者二尖瓣组织中IL-17、IL-21、IL-6和IL-23的表达水平。
与正常对照组相比，7周或24周RHD大鼠血清IL-17和IL-6浓度显著升高，二尖瓣中IL-17和IL-6的表达水平也显著升高（P<0.017）。与对照组相比，RHD患者二尖瓣组织中IL-17、IL-21、IL-6和IL-23的表达显著增加（P<0.05）。
我们的研究表明，Th17细胞相关细胞因子表达的增加可能在RHD的发病机制和发展中起重要作用。
