Increased IL-17 and TGF-β serum levels in peripheral blood of patients with β-thalassemia major: implication for continual transfusions role in T helper17-mediated proinflammatory responses.
BACKGROUND/AIM
Recent studies have shown that IL-17-producing CD4+ T helper (Th17) cells play an important role in proinflammatory processes. In this report we analyzed IL-17, IL-21, and TGF-β serum levels in the peripheral blood of Iranian beta-thalassemia major patients that clinically exhibited splenectomy and iron overload.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Blood samples were collected from 43 beta-thalassemia patients and 43 healthy individuals with no history of malignancies or autoimmune disorders. Then serum levels of IL-17, IL-21, and TGF-β were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).


RESULTS
The levels of IL-17 (P = 0.005) and TGF-β (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the thalassemia patients compared to the healthy control. No significant differences in the level of serum IL-21 was observed between the patients and controls. There were no significant differences in serum levels of IL-17, IL-21, and TGF-β between patients with high or low serum levels of ferritin.


CONCLUSION
Multiple blood transfusions cause constant immune stimulation, as a result of repeated exposure to new alloantigens. This might have significant effects on the stimulation of cytokine producing cells in those patients and cytokine profile can be used as a related marker for assessing disease severity and consequently therapeutic intervention.
['Baharlou|Rasoul|R|', 'Davami|Mohammad Hassan|MH|', 'Ahmadi Vasmehjani|Abbas|A|', 'Ebrahimi|Morteza|M|']
D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay D006801:Humans D020381:Interleukin-17 D007492:Iran D058504:Th17 Cells D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta D017086:beta-Thalassemia
Beta-thalassemia interleukin-17 interleukin-21 transforming growth factor beta