Serum interleukin-16 significantly correlates with the Vasculitis Damage Index in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis

• Published in: Arthritis research & therapy 2020-04, Vol.22 (1), p.73-73, Article 73
• Main Authors: Yoon, Taejun, Pyo, Jung Yoon, Ahn, Sung Soo, Song, Jason Jungsik, Park, Yong-Beom, Lee, Sang-Won
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activity; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis; Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis - blood; Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis - diagnosis; Antibodies; Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis; Arthritis; Autoimmune diseases; Biomarkers; Blood tests; C-reactive protein; Cytokines; Ear - blood supply; Female; Gene expression; Hospitals; Humans; Hypotheses; Inflammation; Interleukin-16 - blood; Interleukins; Laboratories; Lymphocytes; Male; Medical research; Medical schools; Middle Aged; Neutrophils; Nose - blood supply; Patients; Pharynx - blood supply; Prospective Studies; Reflect; Serum IL-16; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys; T cells; Vasculitis; Vasculitis damage
• ISSN: 1478-6362; 1478-6354; 1478-6362
• DOI: 10.1186/s13075-020-02172-5

Interleukin (IL)-16 is a T cell chemoattractant produced by peripheral mononuclear cells. We investigated whether IL-16 plays a pro- or an anti-inflammatory role in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). Furthermore, we investigated whether the level of IL-16 could predict the activity and extent of organ damage in AAV based on AAV-specific indices. Seventy-eight patients with AAV from a prospective observational cohort were included in this analysis. Blood sampling and clinical assessments, including the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS), Five-Factor Score (FFS), Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36), and Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI), were performed, and laboratory data were collected. Serum IL-16 was measured from stored sera. The median age was 62.0 years, and 27 patients were male. The median serum IL-16 concentration was 84.1 pg/dL, and the median BVAS, FFS, VDI, and SF-36 scores were 7.0, 1.0, 3.0, and 48.0, respectively. Among the AAV-related indices, the serum IL-16 concentration was correlated with VDI (R  = 0.306, P = 0.006), but not with BVAS (R  = 0.024, P = 0.834), FFS (R  = - 0.069, P = 0.550), or SF-36 (R  = - 0.015, P = 0.898). The serum IL-16 concentration also did not correlate with either the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or the C-reactive protein concentration. Per our analysis based on organ involvement, only patients with ear, nose, and throat manifestations had higher serum IL-16 concentrations relative to those with other conditions (P = 0.030). This was the first study to elucidate the clinical implication of serum IL-16 in patients with AAV. We found that the serum IL-16 level may reflect the cross-sectional VDI scores among AAV-specific indices. Future studies with larger numbers of patients and serial measurements could provide more reliable data on the clinical implications of serum IL-16 in AAV.