Role of a cytokine in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease determined using patients' immune cells
2017
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a systemic autoimmune disease that usually causes bilateral granulomatous panuveitis and results in decreased visual acuity. If not treated in a timely manner, this disease can lead to blindness. In the present study, the researchers aimed at uncovering if cytokine IL-9, which is involved in various autoimmune diseases, could also be involved in VKH. The researchers isolated immune cells from VKH patients and cultured them in vitro. The expression of a repertoire of cytokines was tested in the primary cells, and IL-9 mRNA levels were higher in VKH individuals than in control. The secretion of cytokines that were present in the culture supernatant was investigated and IL-9 levels were higher in VKH than in control. Finally, exposure to supplemental doses of IL-9 was assessed and showed no increase of proliferation but an increase in the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17. In conclusion, the data show the involvement of IL-9 with the disease and suggest that manipulation of IL-9 might represent a novel option for the treatment of VKH disease.
Expression and role of interleukin-9 in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease
Qian Wang
Added on: 10-31-2021
[1] http://www.molvis.org/molvis/v23/538/[2] https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset/700397b2-edd7-4ed6-86f7-fc1b164ed432
