Imunoquímica e Imunopatologia

Levels of Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-23 in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

Alisa Nobee, Angel Justiz-Vaillant, Patrick E Akpaka and Peter Poon-King

Serum interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-23 and their association with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not well understood. A prospective cross sectional and observational study was done using twenty eight (28) SLE patients and fourteen (14) non SLE control subjects. Blood samples were taken to delineate the presence of IL-17 and IL-23 using ELISA among patients of the Rheumatology out-patient clinic at the San Fernando General Hospital, Trinidad and Tobago. The Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) 2000 score was used for evaluation of activity of the disease. It was found that of all the SLE patients 13 patients (47%) were of Afro-Trinidadian descent, 11 patients (39%) were of Indo-Trinidadian descent and 4 patients (14%) were of mixed descent. The majority of patients were within the 31-35 year age group. Serum IL-17 and IL-23 levels were greater in SLE patients compared to healthy subjects and their levels showed a positive correlation to SLEDAI score. However further experiments are needed to elucidate the role of IL-17 and IL-23 in SLE patients from Trinidad and Tobago.