Il-23/il-17 axis and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Introduction: The latest paradigm proposes that imbalance of Treg and Th17 cells play a significant role in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis. The influence of IL-23 and IL-17 on the pathogenesis of SLE remains controversial. This study aimed to observe the role of IL-23/IL17 axis in the pathogenesis of SLE as disease activity using Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM) index. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed thirty blood serum specimens taken from female patients with SLE diagnosed by the 1997 ACR criteria. All samples were analyzed for IL-23 and IL-17 serum level using ELISA method. Pearson’s/Spearman’s correlation test and Path analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: Thirty female subjects aged 31.3±10.46 years all manifested with hematology abnormalities and arthritis posed as the most common clinical manifestation. Both IL-23 and IL-17 levels increased at 625.33 pg/mL and 34.53 pg/mL, respectively. Disease activity resulted in a high mean SLAM score of 29.3±3.9. No correlation was found between serum IL-23 and serum IL-17 (r=0.089; p>0.05). Furthermore, IL-17 and IL-23 did not significantly correlate to disease activity (r=0.026; p>0.05); (r=0.116; p>0.05). Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between IL-23 and IL-17 with SLE disease activity.