title: The influence of systemic therapy on the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in pemphigus vulgaris.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The place of cell-mediated immunity and cytokines in the immunopathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) has not been fully established.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, Interleukine-6 (IL-6) and Interleukine-8 (IL-8), in PV patients before and after therapy, to evaluate the influence of therapy on the serum cytokine levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-six newly diagnosed PV patients enrolled into the study. The serum levels of IL-8 and IL-6 were measured in 66 and 64 patients, respectively. According to the extent of skin and mucosal involvement, the patients were divided into two groups namely mild and severe. The serum levels of cytokines were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method before and after 4 weeks of prednisolone plus azathioprine therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 64 patients studied for the serum level of IL-6, the median IL-6 level was significantly decreased from 1.6 to 0.9 pg/mL by therapy (P-value = 0.001). Segregating the patients according to the severity of the disease, the serum level of IL-6 did not differ significantly by therapy in patients with a mild disease. However, in patients with a severe disease the median serum level of IL-6 decreased significantly from 1.8 to 0.9 pg/mL after therapy (P-value = 0.001). No significant changes were found in the IL-8 level by treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significant decrease in the IL-6 level after therapy suggests that blocking of IL-6 could have therapeutic benefits for the treatment of PV, particularly in severe forms.
authors: Department of Dermatology, Autoimmune Bullous Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Science, Hamadan, Iran Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Molecular Immunology Research Center, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Mortazavi
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Babaeijandaghi
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Akbarzadeh
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Rezaei
authors: A A
authors: AA
authors: Amirzargar
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Daneshpazhooh
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Jalali
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Hallaji
mesh_terms: D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood*; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D011239:Prednisolone; D001379:Azathioprine