Role of interleukin-8 and interleukin-10 in rheumatoid arthritis patients : correlation with disease Activity

Abstract EN

Background The synovial membrane of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by infiltrate of a variety of inflammatory cells, such as lymphocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells, together with proliferation of synovial fibroblast-like cells.

Numerous pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines are overproduced in the inflamed joint by these cells.

Aim this study aimed to investigate the possible role of IL-8 and IL-10 as representatives of the pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of RA in correlation with the disease activity.

The level of IL-8 and IL-10 were measured by ELISA technique in LPS-stimulated and non-stimulated PBMCs of active and inactive RA groups and the results were compared with a group of healthy normal sex and age matched subjects as controls. Results: revealed that IL-8 and IL-10 levels in LPS stimulated and non-stimulated PBMCS of both RA groups of patients were higher than the normal subjects.

The level of IL-8 is significantly elevated in both LPS-stimulated and non-stimulate PBMCs in active RA than inactive RA.

Insignificant elevation of IL-10 in non-stimulated PBMCs of active RA than inactive RA is observed while its level is insignificantly decreased in LPS-stimulated PBMCs in active RA than inactive RA. Conclusion we suggested that the chemokine / prionflammatory cytokine IL-8 and suppressor/anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 released by PBMCs of RA positively correlated with the activity of the disease and that the modulation of their production to keep the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines may be a new mode of treatment of RA.