RESUMO
Objective To observe serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in dermatomyositis (DM) patients with different syndrome types of Chinese medicine (CM). Methods Totally 68 dermatomyositis patients were recruited and grouped by syndrome typing of CM, i.e., heat-toxin flourishing syndrome (20 cases) , damp-heat accumulation syndrome (14 cases) , cold-dampness obstruction syndrome (12 cases) , Pi-Shen deficiency syndrome (12 cases) , Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (10 cases). Meanwhile, 64 healthy volunteers were recruited as healthy con- trols. The levels of IL-17 and TNF-α in serum were detected in patient groups and the healthy group. Results Compared with the healthy control group, the serum IL-17 level increased in patients with heat-toxin flourishing syndrome, damp-heat accumulation syndrome, and cold-dampness obstruction syndrome (P <0. 01) ; the serum TNF-α level increased in DM patients with each syndrome (P <0. 01 , P < 0. 05). Compared with the heat-toxin flourishing syndrome group, the serum IL-17 level decreased in patients with cold-dampness obstruction syndrome, Pi-Shen deficiency syndrome, and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01) ; and the serum TNF-α level decreased in patients with Pi-Shen deficiency syndrome and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01). Compared with the dampheat accumulation syndrome group, the serum IL-17 level decreased in patients with cold-dampness obstruction syn- drome, Pi-Shen deficiency syndrome, and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01) , and the serum TNF-α level decreased in patients with Pi-Shen deficiency syndrome and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01). Compared with the cold-dampness obstruction syndrome group, the serum levels of IL-17 and TNF-α decreased in patients with Pi-Shen deficiency syndrome and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome (P <0. 01 , P <0. 05). Conclusion Serum levels of IL-17 and TNF-α are different in DM patients with different syndrome types of CM.