Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Department of General Practice, Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.
Int Immunopharmacol. 2022 Jul;108:108758. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.108758. Epub 2022 Apr 8.
There is a lack of single marker reflecting systemic activity of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Our aim is to determine the association between interleukin(IL)-7 and pSS by combining a single-center study and a systematic scoping review.
There were 58 patients with pSS and 30 healthy controls (HCs) included in the single-center study. The multiplex immunoassay was used for detecting concentrations of IL-7, IL-4, IL-9, IL-10, IL-17, interferon(IFN) -γ, INF-α and INF-β in sera. pSS patients were evaluated for systemic activity in accordance with the European League against Rheumatism SS Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI). In the systematic scoping review, all studies regarding association of IL-7 with pSS were included.
pSS patients showed higher serum IL-7 levels (P = 0.028 vs HCs) which were associated with neutrophil, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR), platelet-to-lymphacyte ratio(PLR), red blood cell distribution width(RDW), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), immunoglobulin(Ig)G, C-reactive protein (CRP), fever, lymphadenopathy and ESSDAI. Serum IL-7 correlated with Th cell related cytokines. Findings of the systematic scoping review on 15 articles were as follows. Firstly, IL-7 expression in salivary glands (SGs), serum and saliva increased in pSS, while IL-7 receptor(IL-7R) expression increased in SGs but decreased in peripheral blood. Secondly, increased IL-7 was mainly from SGs of pSS patients, but whether IL-7 was mainly produced by SG epithelial cells remained to be validated. Thirdly, IL-7 could exert a key role in pSS immunopathology. Although IL-7 had no direct effect on SGECs, it could activate B and T cells and stimulate secretion of IL-17, IL-4 and IFNs.
Not only are IL-7 and soluble IL-7R potential biomarkers for monitoring pSS activity, but also targeting IL-7/IL-7R pathway may be a promising therapeutic strategy.
原发性干燥综合征（pSS）缺乏反映全身活动的单一标志物。我们的目的是通过结合单中心研究和系统范围综述来确定白细胞介素（IL）-7与 pSS 之间的关联。
该单中心研究纳入了 58 例 pSS 患者和 30 名健康对照者（HCs）。采用多重免疫分析法检测血清中 IL-7、IL-4、IL-9、IL-10、IL-17、干扰素（IFN）-γ、IFN-α 和 IFN-β 的浓度。根据欧洲抗风湿病联盟 SS 疾病活动指数（ESSDAI）评估 pSS 患者的全身活动情况。在系统范围综述中，纳入了所有关于 IL-7 与 pSS 相关性的研究。
pSS 患者血清 IL-7 水平升高（P=0.028 与 HCs），与中性粒细胞、中性粒细胞与淋巴细胞比值（NLR）、血小板与淋巴细胞比值（PLR）、红细胞分布宽度（RDW）、红细胞沉降率（ESR）、免疫球蛋白（Ig）G、C 反应蛋白（CRP）、发热、淋巴结病和 ESSDAI 相关。血清 IL-7 与 Th 细胞相关细胞因子相关。15 篇文章的系统范围综述结果如下。首先，pSS 患者唾液腺（SGs）、血清和唾液中的 IL-7 表达增加，而 SGs 中的 IL-7 受体（IL-7R）表达增加，外周血中的 IL-7R 表达减少。其次，增加的 IL-7 主要来自 pSS 患者的 SGs，但 IL-7 是否主要由 SG 上皮细胞产生仍有待验证。第三，IL-7 可能在 pSS 免疫病理学中发挥关键作用。虽然 IL-7 对 SGECs 没有直接作用，但它可以激活 B 和 T 细胞，并刺激 IL-17、IL-4 和 IFNs 的分泌。
IL-7 和可溶性 IL-7R 不仅是监测 pSS 活动的潜在生物标志物，而且靶向 IL-7/IL-7R 途径可能是一种有前途的治疗策略。
