ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the predictive value of serum interleukin-27 (IL-27) for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from unrelated donors. Methods Serum samples were collected from 72 patients after receiving allo-HSCT from unrelated donors during January to December 2012. Serum samples collected from 70 patients received allo-HSCT in 2013 were used for confirmation. All patients received myeloablative conditioning regimen prior to allo-HSCT. Cyclosporin A (CsA)+mycophenolate mofetil (MMF)+short-term methotrexate (MTX) were used for GVHD prophylaxis. Serum IL-27 levels in patients with aGVHD were measured by ELISA. The pre-dictive value of IL-27 index,defined as the ratio of serum IL-27 level at neutrophil engraftment to that before pre-conditioning regimen, for allogeneic HSCT was retrospectively analyzed. Results Serum IL-27 index was significantly decreased in patients with gradeⅡ-ⅣaGVHD(grade 0-Ⅰ : 1.89±0.68 vs gradeⅡ-Ⅳ :1.26±0.49;P<0.000 1). IL-27 index had good value for grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD (AUC=0.782,95% CI:0.675-0.889,P<0.001). Patients with a lower serum IL-27 index (<1.33) were more likely to have a higher cumulative incidence of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD than those with a higher serum IL-27 index (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that low IL-27 index was the most significant risk factor for gradeⅡ-Ⅳ aGVHD (HR=4.50,95% CI:2.1-9.8,P<0.01). These findings were consistent with the results found in the serum samples collected in 2013. Conclusion Low IL-27 index could be used to predict the incidence of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ acute GVHD after allo-HSCT from unrelated donors.