Upregulation of IL-17, but not of IL-9, in circulating cells of CIS and relapsing MS patients. Impact of corticosteroid therapy on the cytokine network

Muls, Nathalie; Jnaoui, Karima; Dang, Hong Anh; Wauters, Antony; Van Snick, Jacques; Sindic, Christian Jean-Marie; van Pesch, Vincent

doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2011.12.010

« Previous Next »Journal of Neuroimmunology
Volume 243, Issue 1 , Pages 73-80, 29 February 2012

Upregulation of IL-17, but not of IL-9, in circulating cells of CIS and relapsing MS patients. Impact of corticosteroid therapy on the cytokine network

Nathalie Muls
- Unité de Neurochimie, Institute of Neuroscience, Avenue Mounier, 53 (BP 53.02), Belgium
Karima Jnaoui
- Unité de Neurochimie, Institute of Neuroscience, Avenue Mounier, 53 (BP 53.02), Belgium
Hong Anh Dang
- Unité de Neurochimie, Institute of Neuroscience, Avenue Mounier, 53 (BP 53.02), Belgium
Antony Wauters
- Unité de Neurochimie, Institute of Neuroscience, Avenue Mounier, 53 (BP 53.02), Belgium
Jacques Van Snick
- Unité de Médecine Expérimentale, Institut Christian de Duve, Avenue Hippocrate, 24, Université catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
Christian Jean-Marie Sindic
- Unité de Neurochimie, Institute of Neuroscience, Avenue Mounier, 53 (BP 53.02), Belgium
Vincent van Pesch
- Unité de Neurochimie, Institute of Neuroscience, Avenue Mounier, 53 (BP 53.02), Belgium
- Corresponding author at: Service de Neurologie, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium. Tel.: +32 2 764 1082; fax: +32 2 764 3679.

Received 8 September 2011; received in revised form 7 December 2011; accepted 12 December 2011. published online 16 January 2012.

Abstract

The concomitant production of IL-17A and IL-9, both Th17 cytokines, has not been compared in MS patients. We show that IL-17A but not IL-9 expression by CD3⁺ cells was increased during a MS relapse. Co-expression of IL-17A and IL-9 was marginal. In addition to Th1 and Th2 cytokines, IL-17A, IL-6 and IL-23p19 were down-regulated by ivMP, but Foxp3 was not, while an increase in IL-10, TGF-β1 and IL-27p28 mRNA was observed. This change in the Th17, Treg and IL-10 balance could be an additional mechanism by which corticosteroids shorten the duration of a MS relapse and promote recovery.

Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis, Cytokines, Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, Corticosteroids, Relapse