Increased IL-17A but decreased IL-27 serum levels in patients with multiple sclerosis

Effector CD4[+] T cell subsets play an important role in Multiple Sclerosis [MS]. Interleukin-27 [IL-27] suppresses Th [Th1, Th2 and Th17] cells and dampens autoimmunity and tissue inflammation by promoting the generation of Type 1 regulatory T cells [Tr1]. To identify the relative levels of IL-27 and IL-17A in MS disease. In a case-control study, venous blood was collected from forty MS patients and forty-three healthy subjects as control group. Serum levels of IL-27 and IL- 17A were measured by ELISA method. A significant difference between serum IL-17A concentration in patients [120.68 +/- 209.85 pg/ml] and control group [67.26 +/- 117.76 pg/ml, p=0.016] was found. Serum IL-27 levels of the MS patients [159.7 +/- 581.4 pg/ml] were significantly lower than control subjects [180.35 +/- 507.84 pg/ml, p=0.001]. Our findings show decreased levels of IL-27 against increasing IL-17A levels in patients group which may suggest the suppressive role of IL-27 on inflammatory process of MS

Interleukin-17A and interleukin-17F mRNA expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis [MS] is a CD4[+] T cell-mediated autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system [CNS]. It was previously believed that Th1 cells were pathogenic T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis [EAE]. However, the functional role of Th1 cells in EAE has been reconsidered upon the discovery of IL-17-producing T cells which are consider as dominant effectors for inducing autoimmune tissue inflammation. The objective of this study was to assess the role of IL-17A and IL-17F in MS pathogenesis. We evaluated mRNA expression of IL-17A and IL-17F in thirty-five Iranian patients with relapsing-remitting MS [RRMS] and twenty-five healthy controls by Quantitative Real Time PCR. The results of this study showed a twenty-fold increase in the expression of IL-17A mRNA in MS patients compared to the control group [p < 0.0001]. IL-17F mRNA expression in MS patients was thirty three-times greater than control group [p = 0.0008]. IL-17A mRNA expression in periphery was positively correlated with expression of IL-17F transcripts in MS patients and controls [p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively]. These results indicate the critical role of Th17- mediated cytokines in development of MS which classically has been considered as a Th1-mediated disorder. The results of this study showed, for the first time, the importance of IL-17F in MS immunopathogenesis