Clinical Significance of IL-22 Expression and Percentage of IL-22-producing Th22 Cells in Primary Sj?gren′s Syndrome / 中国医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective to measure the percentage of th22 cells and evaluate the levels of plasma interlukin-22(IL-22)in human peripheral blood, so as to determine their clinical significance in primary Sj?gren′s syndrome(pSS). Methods Patients with pSS were divided into three subgroups based on severity of labial gland involvement:mild,moderate and severe. Healthy people served as controls. the percentage of th22 cells and the lev-els of IL-22 in human peripheral blood from pSS patients and healthy controls were measured and compared. Results Compared to healthy con-trols,pSS patients had significantly higher percentage of th22 cells and higher plasma IL-22 levels(P < 0.05). Among pSS patients,the more seri-ous illness they had,the higher percentage of th22 cell and levels of IL-22 were observed. Severe patients had higher percentage of th22 cells and IL-22 levels than moderate patients(P < 0.05),and moderate patients had higher percentage of th22 cells and IL-22 levels than mild patients(P <0.05). Conclusion Increased peripheral IL-22-secreting th22 cells are detected in primary Sj?gren′s syndrome,which have a close association with disease severity. these data suggest that th22 and its released cytokine IL-22 may be considered as potential valuable biomarkers for severity of pSS,which may provide a novel therapeutic target for treatment.