RESUMEN
Background and Aims: recent evidence suggests that T helper 17 [Th17] cells are involved in the emergence of asthma. Th17 cells have a key role in inducing inflammation in asthmatic airways. Thus interleukin [IL]-17A, the main cytokine of Th17, contributes to airways inflammation
Materials and Methods: we evaluated the level of IL-17A and total immunoglobulin E [IgE] by ELISA method in sera of 100 asthmatic patients and 81 healthy controls, to determine if serum concentration of IL-17A is associated with asthma severity. We classified patients into three groups; mild [n=28], moderate [n=33] and severe asthma [n=39]
Results: serum IL-17A and IgE concentrations were significantly higher in the asthmatic patients than the control group [p=0.026 and p<0.01, respectively]. Mean serum IL-17A and IgE values were 37.73 pg/ml and 39.02 IU/ml in the control group, but 68.55 pg/ml and 295.87 IU/ml in the patients group, respectively. Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between the three groups of asthmatic patients. Mean serum IL-17A and IgE values were 94.17 pg/ml and 255.07 IU/ml in the mild group, 71.29 pg/ml and 271.27 IU/ml in the moderate group, and 47.85 pg/ml and 345.97 IU/ml in the severe group, respectively. Moreover, there was no correlation between serum levels of IL-17A and IgE
Conclusion: it was found that IL-17A, like IgE, rises in sera of asthmatic patients though in a different manner. IgE increases in serum consistent with disease severity though the increase of IL-17A in serum has an inverse relationship with IgE elevation