Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Front Immunol. 2024 Oct 17;15:1434738. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1434738. eCollection 2024.
Interleukin (IL)-38 is a newly discovered anti-inflammatory cytokine. However, its concentration and clinical significance in patients with gout remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the levels of IL-38 in patients with gout and evaluate their clinical significance.
Thirty-two patients with active gout, 27 patients with inactive gout, and 20 negative controls (NCs) were included in the study. Clinical parameters, including white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, uric acid, urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamyl transpeptidase, and glycoserated serum protein, were obtained from laboratory tests of blood samples. The serum concentration of IL-38 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman's correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve assessments were used to investigate the role and diagnostic value of IL-38 in gout.
Patients with active and inactive gout exhibited significantly lower serum IL-38 levels than NCs. No significant differences were observed between the two gout groups. A negative correlation was observed between IL-38 and white blood cell counts, whereas a positive correlation was found between IL-38 and creatinine levels. Furthermore, IL-38, either alone or in combination with uric acid, demonstrated substantial diagnostic potential.
The findings suggest that the decreased serum levels of IL-38 in patients with gout compared to that in NCs indicates that IL-38 may have immunomodulatory effects on gout inflammation and possesses clinical application value.
白细胞介素（IL）-38 是一种新发现的抗炎细胞因子。然而，其在痛风患者中的浓度和临床意义尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨痛风患者中 IL-38 的水平，并评估其临床意义。
本研究纳入了 32 例活动期痛风患者、27 例缓解期痛风患者和 20 例阴性对照组（NCs）。从血液样本的实验室检查中获得了临床参数，包括白细胞计数、C 反应蛋白、血清淀粉样蛋白 A、红细胞沉降率、尿酸、尿素、肌酐、丙氨酸氨基转移酶、天冬氨酸氨基转移酶、谷氨酰转肽酶和糖化血清蛋白。采用酶联免疫吸附试验测定血清 IL-38 浓度。采用 Spearman 相关分析和受试者工作特征曲线评估 IL-38 在痛风中的作用和诊断价值。
活动期和缓解期痛风患者的血清 IL-38 水平明显低于 NCs。两组痛风患者之间无显著差异。IL-38 与白细胞计数呈负相关，与肌酐水平呈正相关。此外，IL-38 无论是单独使用还是与尿酸联合使用，都具有显著的诊断潜力。
与 NCs 相比，痛风患者血清中 IL-38 水平降低，表明 IL-38 可能对痛风炎症具有免疫调节作用，具有临床应用价值。
