Elevated Levels of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma Interleukin-37 in Patients with Guillain-Barré Syndrome

• Published in: Mediators of Inflammation 2013-01, Vol.2013 (2013), p.224-232-227
• Main Authors: Li, Cong, Zhao, Pingwei, Sun, Xiguang, Che, Yuanyuan, Jiang, Yan-Fang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Case-Control Studies; Clinical Study; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Guillain-Barre Syndrome - blood; Guillain-Barre Syndrome - cerebrospinal fluid; Humans; Immunoglobulins - therapeutic use; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous - therapeutic use; Inflammation - metabolism; Interferon-gamma - blood; Interferon-gamma - cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-1 - blood; Interleukin-1 - cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-17 - blood; Interleukin-17 - cerebrospinal fluid; Male; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - blood; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - cerebrospinal fluid; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0962-9351; 1466-1861
• DOI: 10.1155/2013/639712

Aims. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. This study aims to investigate the concentrations of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) IL-37 in patients with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Methods. The levels of plasma and CSF IL-37, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and TNF-α in 25 GBS patients and 20 healthy controls (HC) were determined by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay and flow cytometric bead array assay, respectively. The values of clinical parameters in the patients were also measured. Results. The concentrations of plasma IL-37, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and TNF-α and CSF IL-37 and IL-17A in patients at the acute phase of GBS were significantly higher than those in the HC. The levels of plasma IL-37, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were positively correlated in those patients, and the levels of CSF IL-37 and IL-17A as well as the levels of plasma TNF-α were correlated positively with the GBS disability scale scores (GDSs) in those patients. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin significantly reduced the levels of plasma IL-37, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and TNF-α in the drug-responding patients. Conclusions. Our findings indicate higher levels of plasma and CSF IL-37 and IL-17A and other proinflammatory cytokines in patients with GBS.