Levels of IL-12 in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)--relation to Th1- and Th2-derived cytokines.
IL-12 is a cytokine that induces Th1-derived cytokines (interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-2). The significance of IL-12 in human autoimmunity is no clear, and the serum levels of IL-12 in SLE are not clearly established. Therefore, we examined the levels of IL-12 in 39 patients with active SLE, with sandwich ELISA. The levels of IL-12 in patients were significantly higher than in normal subjects. Patients with high levels of IL-12 also had high levels of IFN-gamma, while their levels of IL-13 were significantly lower than in patients with normal levels of IL-12. Patients with pulmonary involvement had high levels of IL-12, and steroid therapy decreased the IL-12 level in three patients. In a retrospective study of seven patients, various changes of IL-12 and IL-13 were recognized before disease flare. Thus, in SLE patients, the level of IL-12 was increased and this increase was related to the change of Th1- or Th2-derived cytokines with some organ involvement.
Tokano
Y
Y
Department of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Morimoto
S
S
Kaneko
H
H
Amano
H
H
Nozawa
K
K
Takasaki
Y
Y
Hashimoto
H
H
D000328:Adult; D015551:Autoimmunity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood*; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
D018793:Interleukin-13; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D007378:Interleukins; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma