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. 2025 Jun 7;17(6):e85515.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.85515. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Exploring the Association Between Vitamin D and IL-10 in Allergic Parthenium Contact Dermatitis Patients

Alphienes Stanley Xavier  1 , Sandhiya Selvarajan  2 , Saibal Das  3 , Sadishkumar Kamalanathan  4
Affiliations

Exploring the Association Between Vitamin D and IL-10 in Allergic Parthenium Contact Dermatitis Patients

Alphienes Stanley Xavier et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction The imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators was suggested to be a contributory factor to the manifestations of allergic parthenium dermatitis. Inadequate circulating vitamin D and IL-10 levels can significantly influence the course of this allergic dermatitis. Objective The objective was to study the association between circulating IL-10 levels and vitamin D status in patients with parthenium dermatitis. Materials and methods Patients attending the dermatitis clinic were screened for eligibility, and 88 individuals were recruited. A total of 101 unrelated healthy volunteers were included as controls. Circulating IL-10 cytokine and vitamin D levels were determined in both groups and compared. Results A higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (79.5% vs. 59.4%, P = 0.000315) and lower IL-10 levels (6.84 vs. 9.04 pg/ml, P < 0.0001) were observed in the patient group compared to healthy controls. The vitamin D-deficient patients were also found to have significantly lower IL-10 levels. A significant positive correlation between vitamin D and IL-10 levels was observed among individuals with allergic dermatitis. Lower vitamin D and IL-10 levels were associated with higher Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores. Conclusion Lower circulating vitamin D and IL-10 levels, observed in patients with parthenium dermatitis, significantly impacted their quality of life. Assessing plasma IL-10 levels could be a potential biomarker for evaluating disease severity and treatment efficacy. Correcting vitamin D deficiency may improve IL-10 levels and enhance treatment outcomes.

Keywords: allergy; anti-inflammatory cytokine; eczema; parthenium dermatitis; sunshine vitamin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee for Human Studies (Reg. No. ECR/342/Inst/PY/2013), JIPMER, Puducherry issued approval JIP/IEC/2015/20/725. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Vitamin D status and IL-10 level in patients with parthenium dermatitis (N = 88)
IL-10 levels are expressed as medians (IQR); P < 0.0001 (Mann-Whitney test).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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