Upregulation of Interleukin-12 and -17 in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease

作者：Ole Haagen Nielsen, Irena Kirman, N. Rüdiger, Jakob Westergren Hendel, Ben Vainer · 发表于：Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology · 年份：2003 · DOI：10.1080/00365520310000672 · 被引用次数：243 · 研究领域：Psoriasis: Treatment and Pathogenesis、Inflammatory Bowel Disease、Dermatology and Skin Diseases

BACKGROUND: Cytokines are essential mediators of the intestinal inflammation during active episodes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-17 are potent immunoregulatory cytokines whose roles in the pathogenesis of IBD are unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the colonic expression of IL-12 and IL-17 genes in IBD. METHODS: Fifty-one patients (22 with ulcerative colitis (UC), 17 with Crohn disease (CD), and 12 controls) who underwent colonoscopy were included. IBD disease activity was determined using a clinical grading scale. The degree of inflammation, as well as the content of CD4+ T cells (synthesizing IL-17) and CD68+ macrophages (synthesizing IL-12) in colonic biopsies, was determined. The amounts of IL-12 and IL-17 mRNA were assessed by RT-PCR, using GAPDH as an internal standard. RESULTS: In colonic specimens, IL-17 mRNA expression was increased in moderately and severely active UC (P = 0.03) and in all degrees of activity in CD (P < 0.04). Levels of IL-12 mRNA were upregulated in both active UC and active CD compared to controls (P < 0.02). In cases of remission, IL-12 mRNA expression was similar to that found in control samples. Compared to controls, histological examination showed significant differences in signs of chronic and acute inflammation in UC (P < 0.01) and CD (P < 0.02), revealing a high correlation between clinical disease activity and histological scoring (r2 = 0.92, P < 0.005). Whereas CD4+ T cells were observed in ly...