Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Division of Clinical Research, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Nov;46:102430. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102430. Epub 2020 Jul 30.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is an inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disorder in the central nervous system (CNS), which is mainly mediated by aquaporin 4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab). Interleukin (IL)-39 is a new pro-inflammatory cytokine which belongs to the IL-12 cytokine family. However, the role of IL-39 in patients with NMOSD is not completely understood. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the possible implication of IL-39 in the pathogenesis of NMOSD.
In this study, 50 patients with NMOSD, 20 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), 30 patients with non-inflammatory neurological disorders (NND) and 78 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The levels of serum IL-39 were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Our study showed serum IL-39 levels in patients with NMOSD were significantly higher than that in RRMS patients, NND patients and HCs, and positively correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score.
These findings suggested that IL-39 may play a pro-inflammatory role in the pathogenesis of NMOSD and correlate with disease severity.
视神经脊髓炎谱系疾病（NMOSD）是一种中枢神经系统（CNS）的炎症性脱髓鞘自身免疫性疾病，主要由水通道蛋白 4 抗体（AQP4-Ab）介导。白细胞介素（IL）-39 是一种新的促炎细胞因子，属于 IL-12 细胞因子家族。然而，IL-39 在 NMOSD 患者中的作用尚不完全清楚。因此，本研究旨在探讨 IL-39 在 NMOSD 发病机制中的可能作用。
本研究纳入了 50 例 NMOSD 患者、20 例复发缓解型多发性硬化（RRMS）患者、30 例非炎症性神经疾病（NND）患者和 78 名健康对照者（HCs）。采用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测血清 IL-39 水平。
本研究显示，NMOSD 患者的血清 IL-39 水平明显高于 RRMS 患者、NND 患者和 HCs，且与扩展残疾状况量表（EDSS）评分呈正相关。
这些发现提示 IL-39 可能在 NMOSD 的发病机制中发挥促炎作用，并与疾病严重程度相关。
