METHODS: This study was conducted with 90 individuals, of which 50 were PV patients and 40 healthy individuals (age and gender-matched) as controls. Serum samples were collected and tested for cytokine levels by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The cytokine levels in the serum of PV patients and healthy controls were compared statistically using the Mann-Whitney test for nonparametric samples. The strength of the association between the variables was evaluated using the Spearman correlation test.
RESULTS: The mean serum levels of IFN- γ (p < 0.001), IL-6 (p < 0.001), IL-10 (p < 0.001), IL-12 (p < 0.05), and IL-17 (p < 0.001) were significantly higher and TGF-β were significantly low in the PV patients than those observed in the control group. The mean concentration of serum IL-4 in patients with PV did not differ from those in the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: In active PV, the Th1 and Th17 pathways are involved in the development and progression of the disease, whereas the Th2 pathway is blocked. Both of these pathways play a significant role in the disease. It is possible that the Treg pathway acts as an antagonist to the Th1 and Th17 pathways, which would cause the disease to become more localised. This study lays the foundation for a better understanding of the aetiology of PV and implies that cytokines could be used as potential therapeutic targets and disease activity biomarkers.
方法:这项研究对90名个体进行,其中50名是PV患者,40名健康个体(年龄和性别匹配)作为对照。收集血清样品并通过ELISA(酶联免疫吸附测定)测试细胞因子水平。使用非参数样品的Mann-Whitney检验对PV患者和健康对照的血清中的细胞因子水平进行统计学比较。使用Spearman相关性检验评估变量之间的关联强度。
结果:IFN-γ的平均血清水平(p<0.001),IL-6(p<0.001),IL-10(p<0.001),IL-12(p<0.05),与对照组相比,PV患者的IL-17(p<0.001)显着升高,TGF-β显着降低。PV患者血清IL-4的平均浓度与对照组无差异。
结论:在活性PV中,Th1和Th17通路参与疾病的发展和进展,而Th2通路被阻断。这两种途径在疾病中起重要作用。Treg途径可能是Th1和Th17途径的拮抗剂,这将导致疾病变得更加本地化。这项研究为更好地理解PV的病因奠定了基础,并暗示细胞因子可以用作潜在的治疗靶标和疾病活性生物标志物。