Fawzy Rasha M, Ganeb Sahar S, Said Emtethal A, Fouad Nehad A
Department of Rheumatology & Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt.
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, Egypt.
Egypt J Immunol. 2016 Jan;23(1):19-29.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton.Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is a member of IL-1 family cytokines, that downregulate expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in chronic inflammatory diseases. The aim of the work is to investigate role of IL-37 in AS disease activity and osteoporosis. Twenty-five patients with AS and 25 controls were enrolled into this study. They were subjected to full clinical examination including assessment of disease activity according to the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Serum IL-37 levels and IL-37 mRNA relative concentration were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) respectively. Bone mineral density (BMD) was determined using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Spine radiographs were scored using the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS). Mean serum IL-37 level was significantly higher in AS patients compared with the controls (P < 0.001) and significantly elevated in AS patients with osteoporosis (P < 0.05). IL-37 mRNA gene expression showed a significant increase expression in active AS patient (25 folds) as well as in inactive patient (12 folds) as compared to controls. In conclusion, serum IL-37 and its mRNA expression is increased in AS patients with special consideration in patient with Osteoporosis and correlates with disease activity and BMD which indicate that IL-37 may provide a novel research target for pathogenesis and therapy of AS..
强直性脊柱炎（AS）是一种累及中轴骨骼的慢性炎症性疾病。白细胞介素-37（IL-37）是IL-1家族细胞因子的成员之一，可下调慢性炎症性疾病中促炎细胞因子的表达。本研究旨在探讨IL-37在AS疾病活动及骨质疏松中的作用。本研究纳入了25例AS患者和25例对照。对他们进行了全面的临床检查，包括根据巴斯强直性脊柱炎疾病活动指数（BASDAI）评估疾病活动度。分别采用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）和定量逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测血清IL-37水平及IL-37 mRNA相对浓度。采用双能X线吸收法（DEXA）测定骨密度（BMD）。使用改良斯托克强直性脊柱炎脊柱评分（mSASSS）对脊柱X线片进行评分。与对照组相比，AS患者的血清IL-37平均水平显著更高（P<0.001），在合并骨质疏松的AS患者中显著升高（P<0.05）。与对照组相比，IL-37 mRNA基因表达在活动期AS患者中显著增加（25倍），在非活动期患者中也显著增加（12倍）。总之，AS患者血清IL-37及其mRNA表达增加，尤其是合并骨质疏松的患者，且与疾病活动度和BMD相关，这表明IL-37可能为AS的发病机制和治疗提供一个新的研究靶点。
