title: Increased serum levels of interleukin-8 in polyarteritis nodosa and Behçet's disease.
abstract: The pathogenesis of Behçet's disease (BD) and polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is not yet well established. Endothelial cells have been shown to express chemokines that are involved in inflammatory processes. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a potent chemoattractant and activator of neutrophils. We evaluated serum IL-8 levels in patients with PAN and BD. We measured serum IL-8 levels in 21 patients with BD and 16 with PAN. Sera from 30 age-matched healthy blood donors were used as normal controls. Serum IL-8 levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mean serum IL-8 level of the active BD (1522.31 pg/ml) and that of the active PAN (654.8 pg/ml) was significantly higher than that of the normal controls (40.39 pg/ml, P <0.05). There was no difference in mean serum IL-8 levels between patients with inactive disease and normal controls. We found higher serum levels of IL-8 in those patients with more severe disease. These results suggest that IL-8 may play a role in the pathogenesis of PAN and/or BD. Our study also suggests a possible relation between serum IL-8 levels and the severity of these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Av. Boa Viagem, 5868/53 Recife, CEP 51030-000 Pernambuco, Brazil. apfreire@hotlink.com.br
authors.forename: Alzírton de Lira
authors.initials: Ade L
authors.lastname: Freire
authors.forename: Manoel Barros
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Bertolo
authors.forename: Antônio José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: de Pinho
authors.forename: Adil Muhib
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Samara
authors.forename: Sandra Regina Muchinechi
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010488:Polyarteritis Nodosa / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8