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. 2015 Jan 26;10(1):e0117704.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117704. eCollection 2015.

The role of IL-23/Th17 pathway in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia

Xin Ye  1 , Lei Zhang  2 , Hui Wang  2 , Yan Chen  2 , Weiwei Zhang  2 , Rongrong Zhu  2 , Chaoping Fang  2 , Anmei Deng  2 , Baohua Qian  1
Affiliations

The role of IL-23/Th17 pathway in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia

Xin Ye et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disorder with an unclear etiology. This study aims to investigate the role of IL-23/Th17 pathway in patients with ITP.

Method: The gene expressions of IL-17, IL-23 and their receptors in ITP patients and healthy controls were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. ELISA was used to test the IL-17 and IL-23 levels in plasma. Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of Th17 cells. The correlation between plasma IL-23 and IL-17 levels, Th17 cells, platelets were analyzed. The level of Th17-related cytokines was measured by ELISA following stimulation with IL-23. Subsequently, the IL-23 and IL-17 levels were measured in patients post-treatment.

Results: The PBMCs of ITP patients showed increased mRNA expression levels in each of the following: IL-23p19, IL-12p40, IL-23R, IL-12Rβ1, IL-17A, IL-17F, and RORC. In addition, elevated Th17 cells and plasma IL-17, IL-23 levels were also observed in these ITP patients. Furthermore, it was found that IL-23 levels in plasma are positively correlated with IL-17 levels and Th17 cells, yet negatively correlated with platelet count. Following IL-23 stimulation in vitro, IL-17 levels showed significant elevation. Furthermore, both IL-23 and IL-17 levels decreased after effective treatment.

Conclusion: The IL-23/Th17 pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of ITP through enhancement of the Th17 response. Moreover, our results suggest that the IL-23/Th17 pathway is a potential therapeutic target in future attempts of ITP treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. IL-23/Th17 pathway related molecules mRNA relative expression.
*P<0.01.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Plasma IL-23 and IL-17 levels in ITP patients and healthy controls.
*P<0.01.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Percentage of Th17 cells in ITP patients and healthy controls.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Correlation between plasma IL-23 and IL-17, Th17, platelets in ITP patients.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Th17 related cytokines production in culture supernatant in the presence and absence of IL-23.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Plasma IL-23 and IL-17 level change in ITP patients after effective treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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