Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Regional Specialist Hospital No 3, Rybnik, Poland.
Department of Pathophysiology, Chair of Pathophysiology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2024;24(5):585-595. doi: 10.2174/1871530323666230908143521.
Interleukins (IL)-23, 31, and 33 are involved in the regulation of T helper 17 (Th17)/regulatory T (Treg) cells balance. The role of IL-23, 31 and 33 in non-endocrine autoimmune diseases has been confirmed. Data on the involvement of these cytokines in endocrine autoimmune diseases are limited.
This study aimed to determine the involvement of cytokines regulating the T helper 17 (Th17)/regulatory T (Treg) cells axis in the course of autoimmune endocrine diseases.
A total number of 80 participants were divided into 4 groups: the autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS) group consisting of APS type 2 (APS-2) and type 3 (APS-3) subgroups, the Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) group, the Graves' disease (GD) group and the control (C) group. Fifteen cytokines related to Th17 and Treg lymphocytes were determined in the serum of all participants.
Higher levels of IL-23 and IL-31 were found in the APS, GD, and HT groups compared to the C group. Higher levels of IL-23 and IL-31 were also observed in the APS-2 group, in contrast to the APS-3 group. Correlation analysis of variables in the groups showed a statistically significant correlation between the cytokines IL-23, IL-31, and IL-33 in the APS and APS-2 groups, but no correlation in the APS-3 and C groups.
IL-23 and IL-31 are independent factors in the course of HT, GD, and APS-2, in contrast to APS-3. The positive correlation between IL-23 and IL-31, IL-23 and IL-33, and between IL-31 and IL-33 in the APS, APS-2 groups, but the lack of correlation in the APS-3 and C groups may further suggest the involvement of these cytokines in the course of Addison's disease.
白细胞介素 (IL)-23、31 和 33 参与调节辅助性 T 细胞 17（Th17）/调节性 T（Treg）细胞平衡。IL-23、31 和 33 在非内分泌自身免疫性疾病中的作用已得到证实。关于这些细胞因子在内分泌自身免疫性疾病中的作用的数据有限。
本研究旨在确定调节辅助性 T 细胞 17（Th17）/调节性 T（Treg）细胞轴的细胞因子在自身免疫性内分泌疾病中的作用。
共 80 名参与者被分为 4 组：自身免疫性多内分泌综合征（APS）组包括 APS 2 型（APS-2）和 3 型（APS-3）亚组、桥本甲状腺炎（HT）组、格雷夫斯病（GD）组和对照组（C）组。所有参与者的血清中均测定了 15 种与 Th17 和 Treg 淋巴细胞相关的细胞因子。
APS、GD 和 HT 组的 IL-23 和 IL-31 水平高于 C 组。与 APS-3 组相比，APS-2 组的 IL-23 和 IL-31 水平也更高。组间变量的相关性分析显示，APS 和 APS-2 组的细胞因子 IL-23、IL-31 和 IL-33 之间存在统计学显著相关性，但 APS-3 组和 C 组之间无相关性。
与 APS-3 不同，IL-23 和 IL-31 是 HT、GD 和 APS-2 发病过程中的独立因素。APS、APS-2 组中 IL-23 与 IL-31、IL-23 与 IL-33、IL-31 与 IL-33 之间呈正相关，但 APS-3 组和 C 组之间无相关性，这进一步提示这些细胞因子可能参与了阿狄森病的发病过程。
