Cytokines (IL-17, IL-23 and IL-33) in Adult Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most common autoimmune disease. It is characterized by the presence of hundreds of autoantibodies against many organs and tissues, including the presence of a large number of autoantibodies, which are specific to self-antigens mainly of nuclear origin such as Smith antigen, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), anti-Sjögren’s syndrome-related antigen A and B (SSA/Ro and SSB/La, respectively) and ribonucleoproteins, which are the hallmarks of the disease. Type I and II interferons, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and immunomodulatory cytokines such as IL-10 and TGF-β are essential players in SLE. Additionally, T-cell-derived cytokines such as IL-17, IL-21, and IL-2 are dysregulated in SLE. In this study among cohorts of 60 individuals attending the hospital clinics in Trinidad and Tobago, blood samples were analyzed and the levels of the essential cytokines were measured using SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) 2000 score. The results confirmed that serum IL-17 and IL-23 levels were positively correlated with the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) 2000 score in these patients. These findings have diagnostic and therapeutic implications. However, more work must be done targeting other cytokines relevant to autoimmunity and SLE in particular. Interleulin-33 is not an SLE marker, as has been noted in other populations.