Salivary Levels of Interleukin-17 in Iranian Patients With Systemic Sclerosis

Ali  Tadayon; Javad  Moayedi; Mohamad Ali  Nazarinia; Mahyar  Malekzadeh; Sara  Kazemi; Maryam  Mardani

doi:10.18502/acta.v62i4.17431

Ali Tadayon Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Javad Moayedi Central Research Laboratory, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohamad Ali Nazarinia Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mahyar Malekzadeh Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Sara Kazemi Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Maryam Mardani Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, School of Dentistry, Oral and Dental Disease Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/acta.v62i4.17431

Keywords: Interleukin-17 (IL-17); Saliva; Systemic sclerosis (SSc)

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare immune-mediated rheumatic disease in which the skin, muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs are damaged through chronic inflammation. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by T helper 17 (Th17) cells, and plays a critical role in many inflammatory conditions. This study aims to assess the salivary IL-17 levels in Iranian patients with SSc. In this cross-sectional study, unstimulated saliva samples were collected from patients with SSc (n=80) and age- and sex- matched healthy individuals (n=80). The salivary levels of IL-17 in all samples were measured using a commercially available enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The mean salivary levels of IL-17 in patients with SSc were significantly higher than the control group (199.6±38.9 pg/mL vs. 112.7±39.4 pg/mL, P<0.0001). IL-17 in the patient group had a significant positive correlation with anticentromere antibody (ACA) concentration (r=0.875, P<0.0001). The salivary levels of IL-17 showed no significant differences between males and females. Based on the results, salivary levels of IL-17 could be considered a good marker to differentiate patients with SSc from healthy subjects. Considering the role of this inflammatory cytokine in tissue inflammation and its association with ACA concentration, IL-17 might be involved in the pathogenesis of SSc; however, further comprehensive studies are needed to confirm our findings.