The expression and significance of IL-23/IL-17 axis in esophageal tissues of rats with reflux esophagitis / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

Objective To detect the expressions of interleukin-17(IL-17) and interleukin-23(IL-23) in esophageal tissues of rats with reflux esophagitis(RE) and explore the role of IL-23/IL-17 axis in the pathogenesis of RE.Methods Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups,namely,control group,sham-operated group and model group.RE was induced by adopting partial pyloric ligation plus cardiomyotomy.Then rats in each group were fasted for 24 h but had free access to water.They were fed 24 h after operation.Four weeks later,rats were killed and pathological changes of esophagus mucous membrane were observed by HE staining in each group.The expressions of IL-23p19 and IL-17 mRNA in esophageal tissues were examined by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-FQ-PCR).IL-17 protein content in esophageal tissues was measured by ELISA.Results After four weeks,compared with control group,model group had significant pathological changes of esophagus mucous membrane.Expressions of IL-23p19 and IL-17 mRNA in the esophageal tissues of model group were significantly higher than those of the other two groups;the content of IL-17 protein was significant higher in model group than in the other two groups.There were no significant differences between control group and sham-operated group.Conclusion IL-23/IL-17 axis is an important cellular factor involved in the pathogenesis of RE and may be involved in the chronic inflammation of RE.