AB0057 Increased IL-35 Serum Levels in Systemic Sclerosis Indicates Association with Pulmonary Fibrosis

Background Experimental studies indicate that interleukin-35 (IL-35) is an important anti-inflammatory cytokine and can efficiently suppress T effector cell activity and reduce the progression of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, its real role in the pathophysiology of human diseases is still unclear. Objectives To assess the serum IL-35 level and its association with clinical manifestations in patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Methods IL-35 serum levels were measured by ELISA from 56 patients with SSc and 53 healthy controls. Association of IL-35 serum levels with clinical parameters were sought. Results Serum IL-35 levels were significantly higher in SSc patients (5.08±0.76pg/ml) than in healthy individuals (1.89±0.69 pg/ml; P Conclusions IL-35 is elevated in the serum of patients with SSc and is associated with lung fibrosis. Our findings suggest that this cytokine can have a role in fibrotic diseases but further studies are needed to address the role of IL-35 in the pathogenesis of SSc. References Collison LW, Workman CJ, Kuo TT, Boyd K, Wang Y, Vignali KM, et al. The inhibitory cytokine IL-35 contributes to regulatory T-cell function. Nature 2007;450:566-9. Niedbala W, Wei XQ, Cai B, Hueber AJ, Leung BP, McInnes IB, et al. IL-35 is a novel cytokine with therapeutic effects against collagen-induced arthritis through the expansion of regulatory T cells and suppression of Th17 cells. Eur J Immunol;37:3021-9. Ouyang H, Shi YB, Liu ZC, Wang Z, Feng S, Kong SM, et al. Decreased interleukin 35 and CD4+EBI3+ T cells in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus. Am J Med Sci 2014;348:156-61. Disclosure of Interest None declared