Circulating interleukin 16 (IL-16) in children with atopic/eczema dermatitis syndrome (AEDS): a novel serological marker of disease activity.
BACKGROUND
Chemokines play a central role in atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS). Interleukin 16 (IL-16) has been described as a main cytokine involved in CD4+ cell recruitment during inflammation. Recently the influx of CD4+ lymphocytes has been related to the up-regulation of IL-16 in AEDS skin lesions. Circulating beta-chemokines (Eotaxin and RANTES) and IL-16 were investigated in children with AEDS to correlate their presence with the severity of the disease. We also measured serum levels of soluble CD30 (sCD30), a marker of Th2 immune responses related to AEDS disease activity.


METHODS
Serum levels of eotaxin, RANTES, IL-16 and sCD30 were measured by immunoenzymatic assay in paediatric patients with pure AEDS (pAEDS, n = 39); the severity of the disease was graded by SCORAD. Fifteen children with AEDS in presence of respiratory allergy (AEDS+A), 15 with allergic asthma (A) and 20 age-matched healthy donors were investigated as control groups.


RESULTS
When compared to normals, high amounts of Eotaxin and IL-16 were detected in sera of pAEDS (P = 0.002; P < 0.0001), AEDS+A (P = 0.02; P = 0.01) and A patients (P = 0.004; P = 0.03) with respect to normals. Serum levels of RANTES were also elevated in pAEDS patients, significantly higher than normals (P = 0.009), whereas no statistically significant differences could be detected between pAEDS and AEDS+A or A groups. IL-16 was progressively increased in the different stages of pAEDS, with a positive correlation between IL-16 and both SCORAD and sCD30 (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that IL-16 could serve as a useful marker of disease activity in childhood pAEDS.
Frezzolini
A
A
Laboratory of Immunology and Allergology, Department of Immunodermatology, Istituto Demopatico dell'Immacolatea, IDI--IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Paradisi
M
M
Zaffiro
A
A
Provini
A
A
Cadoni
S
S
Ruffelli
M
M
De Pità
O
O
D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000097:blood; D002631:Chemotactic Factors, Eosinophil / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D019410:Interleukin-16 / Q000097:blood*; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D013577:Syndrome
D015415:Biomarkers; C515456:CCL11 protein, human; D054413:Chemokine CCL11; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D019742:Chemokines, CC; D002631:Chemotactic Factors, Eosinophil; D019410:Interleukin-16; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen; D007073:Immunoglobulin E