Th1 and Th2 chemokine serum levels in systemic sclerosis in the presence or absence of autoimmune thyroiditis.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated contemporarily serum alpha and beta chemokines in patients with newly diagnosed systemic sclerosis (SSc) in the presence or absence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT).


METHODS
Serum levels of CXCL10 and CCL2 chemokines, prototypes of the 2 major subclasses (Th1 and Th2), were measured in patients with newly diagnosed SSc with (n = 40; SSc-II) or without (n = 50; SSc-I) AT, in comparison with 50 normal controls (control-I) and 40 AT controls without SSc (control-II) (sex- and age-matched).


RESULTS
Serum CXCL10 levels were significantly higher in control-II, SSc-I, and SSc-II than in control-I (150 +/- 131, 196 +/- 137, 254 +/- 98, 83 +/- 42 pg/ml, respectively; p < 0.001 for all). SSc-I had serum CXCL10 levels significantly higher than control-II (p = 0.03), and significantly lower than SSc-II (p = 0.04). SSc-II had serum CXCL10 levels significantly higher than control-II (p = 0.002). Serum CCL2 levels were significantly higher in SSc-I and SSc-II than in control-I (378 +/- 192, 403 +/- 131, 316 +/- 113 pg/ml, respectively; p = 0.03 and p < 0.01, respectively). SSc-II had serum CCL2 levels significantly higher than control-II (327 +/- 123 pg/ml; p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrates high serum levels of both CXCL10 (Th1) and CCL2 (Th2) chemokines in patients with SSc, and suggests a prevalence of Th1 immune response in the early phase of the disease. A further increase of serum CXCL10, but not of CCL2, is observed in SSc patients with AT.
Antonelli
Alessandro
A
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa School of Medicine, Pisa, Italy. a.antonelli@med.unipi.it
Ferri
Clodoveo
C
Fallahi
Poupak
P
Colaci
Michele
M
Giuggioli
Dilia
D
Ferrari
Silvia Martina
SM
Frascerra
Silvia
S
Franzoni
Ferdinando
F
Galetta
Fabio
F
Ferrannini
Ele
E
D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood*; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology
D001324:Autoantigens; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; C114753:CXCL10 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D013954:Thyroglobulin; C056658:TPO protein, human; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase