No effect of anti-TNF-α treatment on serum IL-17 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Introduction: interleukin 17 (iL-17) and CC-chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). a correlation has been reported to exist between serum levels of iL-17 and CCL20 and the disease activity. However, such an effect has not been universally demonstrated. the aim of the present study was to investigate if serum levels of iL-17 and/or CCL20 reflect the disease activity and response to anti-TNF-α therapy in patients with ra. Material and methods: twenty-two ra patients qualified to receive anti-TNF-α treatment were prospectively assessed before and after 12 weeks of therapy. Serum concentrations of iL-17 and CCL20 were measured with high-sensitivity immunoassays. Disease activity was assessed by the 28-joint disease activity score (DaS28). Results: twelve weeks of therapy resulted in a satisfactory therapeutic response in the majority (91%) of patients (reflected both by clinical and standard biochemical criteria). However, serum concentrations of iL-17 and ccL20 did not change significantly over the course of therapy moreover, they did not correlate with the disease activity, patient characteristics, and their response to therapy. Conclusions: Serum levels of iL-17 and CCL20 do not reflect changes in the clinical and biochemical status that occur in patients undergoing anti-TNF-α treatment for ra. the lack of such an association indicates that iL-17 signalling is not affected by anti-TNF-α therapy and is thus not critically involved in the disease pathogenesis.