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. 2023 Dec 29;13(1):218.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13010218.

Increased Soluble Interleukin 6 Receptors in Fabry Disease

Livia Lenzini  1 , Elisabetta Iori  2 , Monica Vettore  2 , Giorgia Gugelmo  3 , Claudia Radu  4 , Andrea Padoan  5 , Gianni Carraro  6 , Paolo Simioni  4 , Lorenzo Calò  6 , Angelo Avogaro  2 , Gian Paolo Rossi  1 , Nicola Vitturi  2
Affiliations

Increased Soluble Interleukin 6 Receptors in Fabry Disease

Livia Lenzini et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosome storage disease that results in the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) throughout the body leading to irreversible target organ damage. As the role of secondary mediators (inflammatory molecules) and their mechanisms has not been fully elucidated, we focused on the interleukin (IL)-6 system in adult FD patients and in matched healthy subjects. To obtain insights into the complex regulation of IL-6 actions, we used a novel approach that integrates information from plasma and exosomes of FD patients (n = 20) and of healthy controls (n = 15). Soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) levels were measured in plasma with the ELISA method, and membrane-bound IL-6R was quantified in plasma and urinary exosomes using flow cytometry. In FD patients, the levels of soluble IL-6R in plasma were higher than in control subjects (28.0 ± 5.4 ng/mL vs. 18.9 ± 5.4 ng/mL, p < 0.0001); they were also higher in FD subjects with the classical form as compared to those with the late-onset form of the disease (36.0 ± 11.4 ng/mL vs. 26.1 ± 4.5 ng/mL, p < 0.0001). The percentage of urinary exosomes positive for IL-6R was slightly lower in FD (97 ± 1 vs. 100 ± 0% of events positive for IL-6R, p < 0.05); plasma IL-6 levels were not increased. These results suggest a potential role of IL-6 in triggering the inflammatory response in FD. As in FD patients only the levels of sIL-6Rs are consistently higher than in healthy controls, the IL-6 pathogenic signal seems to prevail over the homeostatic one, suggesting a potential mechanism causing multi-systemic damage in FD.

Keywords: Fabry disease; exosomes; inflammation; interleukin 6 receptor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Soluble IL-6R (sIL-6R) levels in FD (n = 20) and control subjects (n = 15). Measurements were performed in duplicate. Data are reported as mean ± s.d.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Soluble IL-6R levels in FD with the classical form (n = 6), with late-onset form (n = 14), and in control (n = 15) subjects. Measurements were performed in duplicate. Data are reported as mean ± s.d.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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