Interleukin-21 Receptor Might be a Novel Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the synovial inflammation of the joints. Various cells and cytokines have been identified that may contribute to RA pathology. Interleukin (IL)-21 is a proinflammatory cytokine mediating pleiotropic functions throu...

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Published inJournal of experimental & clinical medicine Vol. 6; no. 2; pp. 57 - 61
Main Authors Seif, Farhad, Khoshmirsafa, Majid, Mousavi, Mohammad, Beshkar, Pezhman, Rafeian-Kopaei, Mahmoud, Bagheri, Nader, Shirzad, Hedayatollah
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.04.2014
Subjects
autoimmune disease
interleukin-21
interleukin-21 receptor
Internal Medicine
rheumatoid arthritis
interleukin-21 receptor
autoimmune disease
interleukin-21
rheumatoid arthritis
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Summary:Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the synovial inflammation of the joints. Various cells and cytokines have been identified that may contribute to RA pathology. Interleukin (IL)-21 is a proinflammatory cytokine mediating pleiotropic functions through the IL-21 receptor (IL-21R). Blockade of IL-21R may represent a hopeful therapeutic approach in RA. The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of IL-21R expressing CD4+ cells and IL-21 mRNA expression in peripheral blood of RA patients. Methods Surface expression of IL-21R on CD4+ cells in peripheral blood of RA patients ( n  = 32 compared to healthy control participants ( n  = 20) was evaluated by flow cytometry. Simultaneously, mononuclear cells were taken apart from the peripheral blood of individuals on a density gradient. The expression of IL-21 mRNA was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results IL-21R-expressing CD4+ cells from RA patients showed a significantly higher percentage of IL-21R compared with healthy controls ( p  < 0.05). Moreover, real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that there was no significant difference between patients and healthy controls. Conclusion Our results indicate higher expression of IL-21R in RA patients and suggest that targeting of the IL-21R may be a novel therapeutic idea for the treatment of RA.
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ISSN:1878-3317
1878-3325
DOI:10.1016/j.jecm.2014.02.010