Significance of serum Il-9 levels in inflammatory bowel disease

• Published in: International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology 2015-12, Vol.28 (4), p.569-575
• Main Authors: Defendenti, Caterina, Sarzi-Puttini, Piercarlo, Saibeni, Simone, Bollani, Simona, Bruno, Savino, Almasio, Piero Luigi, Declich, Paolo, Atzeni, Fabiola
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Female; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - immunology; Interleukin-6 - blood; Interleukin-9 - blood; Male; Middle Aged; Th17 Cells - immunology; Th2 Cells - immunology
• ISSN: 0394-6320; 2058-7384
• DOI: 10.1177/0394632015600535

IL-9, which may be an inflammatory or regulatory cytokine, can be experimentally produced in a Th17 or modified Th2 context in the presence of T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. The primary aim of this study was to measure serum IL-9 levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and evaluate their relationships with the patients’ clinical characteristics. The secondary aim was to determine the levels of interferon-γ (IFN (interferon)-γ), Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13), and IL-6 in order to clarify the context of detectable peripheral cytokines in which IL-9 is produced. Venous blood samples of 43 IBD patients (20 with Crohn’s disease [CD] and 23 with ulcerative colitis [UC]) were analysed by means of quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using purified anti-human IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IFN-γ, IL-9 and IL-6 antibodies, and the laboratory findings were statistically correlated with their clinical expression. None of the patients showed the peripheral presence of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. Forty (93%) were positive for IFN-γ, thus confirming the presence of Th1 in both UC and CD, and IFN-γ levels correlated with disease activity (P = 0.045). Eighteen patients (41%) were positive for IL-9, which was associated with a severe prognosis (P