Aims

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are aquaporin-4 antibody-mediated diseases of the central nervous system. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an inflammatory cytokine released by vascular endothelial cells and activated astrocytes. Previous studies have reported the aberrant expressions of cytokines/chemokines in patients diagnosed with NMOSD. However, the serum levels of ET-1 in NMOSD patients remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to measure the serum levels of ET-1 and other immune-related cytokines/chemokines in patients with NMOSD, and to investigate the correlation between serum ET-1 levels and clinical characteristics of NMOSD.

Methods

Thirty-eight patients with NMOSD and twenty-eight healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this study. The serum concentrations of ET-1 and other cytokines/chemokines were measured, and their correlations to the clinical features of patients with NMOSD were analyzed.

Results

The serum levels of ET-1 in patients with NMOSD were significantly higher than those in HCs (P = 0.0001). The serum concentrations of ET-1 were positively correlated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale score (r = 0.428, P = 0.0183). High-dose intravenous methylprednisolone treatment significantly reduced the levels of ET-1 and interleukin (IL)-6 in blood, but significantly increased the serum concentrations of IL-10 in NMOSD patients. No correlations were found between serum ET-1 levels and the concentrations of other cytokines/chemokines in these patients.

Conclusion

ET-1 and IL-6 might exert pro-inflammatory effects in the pathogenesis of NMOSD, whereas IL-10 played an anti-inflammatory role in this process. ET-1 might be a potential biomarker for predicting the severity of NMOSD. However, the serum levels of ET-1 were not correlated with the changes of other cytokines/chemokines in patients with NMOSD. The involvement of ET-1 in the development of NMOSD needs to be further studied.

中文翻译：

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视神经脊髓炎谱系障碍患者血清内皮素-1水平与疾病严重程度的相关性。

宗旨

视神经脊髓炎谱系疾病 (NMOSD) 是水通道蛋白 4 抗体介导的中枢神经系统疾病。内皮素-1 (ET-1) 是一种由血管内皮细胞和活化的星形胶质细胞释放的炎性细胞因子。先前的研究报告了诊断为 NMOSD 的患者中细胞因子/趋化因子的异常表达。然而，NMOSD 患者的血清 ET-1 水平仍然未知。本研究旨在检测NMOSD患者血清ET-1及其他免疫相关细胞因子/趋化因子的水平，探讨血清ET-1水平与NMOSD临床特征的相关性。

方法

本研究招募了 38 名 NMOSD 患者和 28 名健康对照 (HC)。测量了 ET-1 和其他细胞因子/趋化因子的血清浓度，并分析了它们与 NMOSD 患者临床特征的相关性。

结果

NMOSD 患者血清 ET-1 水平显着高于 HCs（P  = 0.0001）。ET-1的血清浓度与扩展残疾状态量表评分呈正相关（r  = 0.428，P  = 0.0183）。大剂量静脉注射甲泼尼龙治疗显着降低了血液中 ET-1 和白细胞介素 (IL)-6 的水平，但显着增加了 NMOSD 患者的血清 IL-10 浓度。在这些患者中，未发现血清 ET-1 水平与其他细胞因子/趋化因子的浓度之间存在相关性。

结论

ET-1 和 IL-6 可能在 NMOSD 的发病机制中发挥促炎作用，而 IL-10 在该过程中发挥抗炎作用。ET-1 可能是预测 NMOSD 严重程度的潜在生物标志物。然而，NMOSD 患者血清 ET-1 水平与其他细胞因子/趋化因子的变化无关。ET-1 在 NMOSD 发展中的参与需要进一步研究。