The relation between the level of interleukin-23 with duration and severity of ulcerative colitis.
OBJECTIVE
In this study, we determined the relationship between the serum level of IL-23 and the severity of ulcerative colitis (UC) among our population.


BACKGROUND
A recent major breakthrough for describing the pathogenesis of intestinal tissue injury in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the pathway related to interleukin-23 (IL-23).


METHODS
We performed a prospective case-control study on a total of 85 new patients with ulcerative colitis, recruited from a general referral hospital. Forty ethnically matched healthy controls were also enrolled among hospital staffs and analyzed. Serum IL-23 level was quantified using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) method with an immunoassay analyzer.


RESULTS
The mean serum IL-23 level in the group with ulcerative colitis was significantly higher than the healthy individuals (347.5±130.8 pg/ml versus 233.5±86.3 pg/ml; p< 0.001). There was a positive correlation between the serum level of IL-23 and disease duration (r = 0.27, p = 0.04). Also, a direct relationship was found between the serum level of IL-23 and the severity of disease (mean IL-23 in mild UC = 296.2±51.2 pg/ml; in moderate UC= 356.1±142.9 pg/ml; and in severe UC= 399.3±163.8 pg/ml, p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum level of IL-23 is directly correlated with the duration and severity of ulcerative colitis.
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Dariush
D
Mirsattari
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammadreza
M
Seyyedmajidi
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Homayoun
H
Zojaji
Department of Gastroenterology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehrdad
M
Haghazali
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Peyman Gooran
PG
Orimi
Department of Pathology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Tina
T
Shoushtarizadeh
Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Shohreh
S
Almasi
IL-23; Severity of disease; Ulcerative colitis