Significance of the alteration of Th17 cells in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease

Objective:To investigate the alteration and significance of Th17 in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease(KD).Methods:Forty-three children with Kawasaki disease in the acute phase and forty-one age-matched healthy children were studied.The proportion of Th17 cells/CD4+ in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) was analyzed with flow cytometry.Real-time PCR was performed to evaluate the mRNA expression of retinoid-related orphan receptor γt(RORγt) and interleukin-23p19(IL-23p19) in peripheral blood.The level of plasma IL-6 was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results:The proportion of Th17 and expression of RORγt mRNA from patients with KD in the acute phase were(1.285±0.625)% and(M:5.62,Q:7.16),respectively,which were significantly increased as compared with the controls[(0.584±0.407)% and(M:1.79,Q:2.55),respectively](P0.01).The level of IL-6 in patients with KD(M:36.42,Q:129.77) was markedly higher than that in age-matched healthy children(M:2.39,Q:1.15)(P0.01).Furthermore,positive correlation was observed between the level of IL-6 and proportion of Th17(r=0.88,P0.01).However,no significant difference was found in the expression of IL-23p19 mRNA between patients and healthy children.Conclusion:Th17 cells and it's related cytokine IL-6 increases in the acute phase of KD,which may be involved in immunological pathogenesis of KD.