Background

T helper 17 (Th17) cell responses were involved in the pathophysiology of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). IL-38 has been reported to inhibit the secretion of chemokines involved in Th17 pathway. This study aimed to explore the regulation of Th17 response by IL-38 in pSS.

Methods

Twenty-four pSS patients, 15 non-pSS control, and 13 health subjects were recruited. The expression of IL-38 and Th17 cytokines were detected and compared between pSS and controls. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and minor salivary gland mononuclear cells (MSGMs) were purified and stimulated by IL-38. The differentiation and function of Th17 cells were evaluated by PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

The pSS patients presented with significantly lower expression of IL-38 and higher Th17 cytokines (IL-17 and IL-23) compared with both non-pSS and healthy controls. The IL-38 inhibited the differentiation and function of Th17 responses from PBMCs and MSGMs. The IL-38 treatment could inhibit the Th17 response in mice model.

Conclusions

IL-38 inhibits T helper 17 type responses in pSS, suggesting that IL-38 may be used as potential treatment target in pSS.

中文翻译：

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IL-38在原发性干燥综合征中阻断Th17反应。

背景

T辅助细胞17（Th17）的细胞反应参与了原发性干燥综合征（pSS）的病理生理。已经报道IL-38抑制Th17途径中涉及的趋化因子的分泌。这项研究旨在探讨pSS中IL-38对Th17反应的调节。

方法

招募了24名pSS患者，15名非pSS对照和13名健康受试者。检测了IL-38和Th17细胞因子的表达，并在pSS和对照之间进行了比较。通过IL-38纯化并刺激人外周血单核细胞（PBMC）和唾液腺单核细胞（MSGM）。通过PCR和酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）评估Th17细胞的分化和功能。

结果

与非pSS和健康对照组相比，pSS患者表现出明显较低的IL-38表达和较高的Th17细胞因子（IL-17和IL-23）表达。IL-38抑制了PBMC和MSGM的Th17反应的分化和功能。IL-38处理可抑制小鼠模型中的Th17反应。

结论

IL-38抑制pSS中的T辅助17型反应，提示IL-38可用作pSS中潜在的治疗靶标。