Journal of Inflammation Research (Jul 2020)
The IL-33/sST2 Axis in Thromboangiitis Obliterans
Abstract
Hiva Sharebiani,1 Mehran Mohareri,1 Ali Mirhosseini,1 Bahare Fazeli1,2 1Immunology Research Center, Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Division, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; 2Vascular Independent Research and Education, European Foundation, Milan, ItalyCorrespondence: Bahare FazeliImmunology Research Center, Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Division, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranTel +985138002379Fax +985138414499WhatsApp ID +98 9151108249 Email [email protected]: Until recently, it remains unknown whether thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is a type of systemic vasculitis. A high level of IL-33 and its soluble decoy receptor sST2 in the acute phase of systemic vasculitis has been demonstrated.Methods: The serum level of IL-33 and sST2 in 50 TAO patients, 20 age- and smoking habit-matched controls and 19 age-matched non-smoker controls was evaluated.Results: The mean level of IL-33 in TAO, smokers and non-smokers was 370.2± 61.7ng/mL,132.14± 2.6ng/mL and 11.3± 0.38ng/mL, respectively. The IL-33 was significantly higher in the TAO than in either control groups (p < 0.001). The IL-33 in the acute phase of TAO was significantly higher than in the patients in the quiescent phase of the disease (p = 0.019). Also, IL-33 in the patients with gangrene was significantly higher than in the patients with non-healing ulcers (p = 0.021). The sST2 in the TAO patients was 49.3± 5.58ng/mL, and in smoker and non-smoker controls, it was 45.3± 6.3ng/mL and 4.11± 0.17ng/mL, respectively. No significant difference was found between the patients and smoker control groups (p = 0.87). The mean ratio of IL-33/sST2 was 27.89± 10.44 in the TAO group and, in smokers and non-smokers, it was 2.85± 0.48 and 2.84± 0.14, respectively. A significantly high level of IL-33/sST2 ratio was observed in TAO patients in both the active and quiescent phases of the disease in comparison to both control groups (p< 0.001).Conclusion: The regulation pattern of IL-33/sST2 was different in TAO in comparison to autoimmune vasculitis.Keywords: interleukin 33, soluble ST2, Buerger’s disease, thromboangiitis obliterans, vasculitis
