Evaluation of serum level of IL-17 in patients with pemphigus vulgaris

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic muco-cutaneus disease and the most prevalent type of pemphigus which manifestes with development of bula and erosion in skin and mucosal membranes. Regarding the importance of pemphigus disease as a life-threatining autoimmune disease and its raising prevalence in recent years, and since its ethiology has been not distinguished yet, Given the recent role of Th17 lymphocytes and related cytokines in autoimmune diseases have been shown, therefore this study was aimed to evaluate the potential role of IL-17 in pemphigus vulgaris. Methods and materials: In this Case - control study, 18 patinets with pemphigus vulgaris and 36 healthy individuals were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Measurement of IL-17 serum level in blood samples were conducted by ELISA method. Collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Mann-whitney U test with SPSS 16 software was used for comparison of IL-17 level among two gropus. P<0.05 was considered statistically siginificant in this study. Results: Mean serum levels of IL-17 in patients with pmphgus and healthy control were 35/7(11/6) and 261/2(126), respectively. Mann-whitney U revealed that serum levels of IL-17 wer higher in pemphigus striken patients (P<0.05). Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, serum levels of IL-17 were higher in pemphigus striken patients in comparison to healthy individuals.