Clinical Significance of IL-22 Expression and Percentage of IL-22-producing Th22 Cells in Primary Sj?gren′s Syndrome / 中国医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective to measure the percentage of th22 cells and evaluate the levels of plasma interlukin-22(IL-22)in human peripheral blood, so as to determine their clinical significance in primary Sj?gren′s syndrome(pSS). Methods Patients with pSS were divided into three subgroups based on severity of labial gland involvementmild,moderate and severe. Healthy people served as controls. the percentage of th22 cells and the lev-els of IL-22 in human peripheral blood from pSS patients and healthy controls were measured and compared. Results Compared to healthy con-trols,pSS patients had significantly higher percentage of th22 cells and higher plasma IL-22 levels(P < 0.05). Among pSS patients,the more seri-ous illness they had,the higher percentage of th22 cell and levels of IL-22 were observed. Severe patients had higher percentage of th22 cells and IL-22 levels than moderate patients(P < 0.05),and moderate patients had higher percentage of th22 cells and IL-22 levels than mild patients(P <0.05). Conclusion Increased peripheral IL-22-secreting th22 cells are detected in primary Sj?gren′s syndrome,which have a close association with disease severity. these data suggest that th22 and its released cytokine IL-22 may be considered as potential valuable biomarkers for severity of pSS,which may provide a novel therapeutic target for treatment.