A study of the changes of Th17 cells and IL-23 in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome

Abstract

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune-mediated inflammatory neuropathy. In this paper, the percentage of Th17 in peripheral blood lymphocyte and the level of IL-23 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with GBS were detected. Twenty-five patients with GBS and 20 controls were analyzed. The percentage of Th17 cells in patients with GBS was (4.86 ± 0.60)%, which was higher than that in controls [(2.71 ± 0.54)%; t = 2.616, P = 0.012]. Serum IL-23 increased in patients with GBS [(111.80 ± 13.84) pg/ml vs (72.55 ± 8.19) pg/ml; t = 2.300, P = 0.026]. The level of IL-23 in serum and CSF from patients with GBS before therapy [(110.50 ± 15.66) and (102.30 ± 7.52) pg/ml] declined to normal after therapy [(74.13 ± 6.18) and (72.92 ± 12.09) pg/ml], and the difference was statistically significant (t = 2.557, P = 0.022; t = 1.422, P = 0.046). Th17 cells and IL-23 increased in patients with GBS, indicating that they may involve in the pathogenesis of GBS.

doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2014.06.012