Expression and Significance of Interleukin-23 and Its Related Cytokines in Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and immunologic regulation function of interleukin-23 and its related cytokines in chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP) patients.Levels of cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMNC) were detected by reverse-transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction in 30 patients with chronic ITP and 15 healthy volunteers.The quantity of IL-23,IL-12,IL-17 in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The results showed that low detectable mRNA levels of IL-23p19,IL-12p35,IL-27 and IL-12p40 were found in all patients and healthy persons.Trace of IL-17 mRNA were expressed in PBMNC of part of patients and normal controls.Levels of IL-12p35,IL-27,IL-17 mRNA between healthy persons and chronic ITP patients were not statistically different.Compared with normal controls,patients showed the lower expression levels of IL-23p19 and IL-12p40 mRNA(p0.01).The IL-12 levels of chronic ITP patients were significantly higher than that of normal controls(p0.01).The IL-23 and IL-17 levels of chronic ITP patients were same to that of normal controls.It is concluded that the imbalance of T cell subsets in ITP patients mainly associated with IL-12,but not with IL-23 and IL-17.