A preliminary study on the role of IL-23, IL-4 and IL-17 in allergic diseases

Objective To analyze the levels of serum interleukin (IL)-23, IL-4, IL-17 and IL-31 in sensitized patients who were allergic to eggs, fish and dust mites, so as to provide experimental evidence for further clarification of the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. MethodsQuestionnaires and interviews were performed to understand allergy to eggs, fish or dust mites in population of Xuzhou. A total of 86 patients who were admitted into a hospital of Xuzhou from August 2014 to January 2015 were enrolled, including 28 patients allergic to eggs, 36 patients allergic to fish and 22 patients allergic to dust mites. Meanwhile, another 23 healthy subjects were set as controls. The levels of their serum IL-23, IL-4, IL-17 and IL-31 were detected by ELISA. ResultsThere were 1 025 valid questionnaires, where 358 patients (34.93%) suffering from allergic diseases. Specifically, 4.49% (46) patients were allergic to fish, 2.44% (25) were allergic to eggs and 15.51% (159) were allergic to dust mites. The levels of serum IL-23 and IL-4 were remarkably higher in patients who were allergic to eggs, fish and dust mites than those in the healthy control (P<0.05). The level of serum IL-23 in dust mite-sensitized patients was higher than those in eggs- and fish-sensitized patients (P<0.05). The level of serum IL-17 in dust mite sensitized patients was higher than that in healthy control (P<0.05). Compared with the control, the other three types of sensitized patients presented slight increases in the level of serum IL-31, without statistical significances (P>0.05). The amount of serum IL-31 in dust mite-sensitized patients was higher than that in fish-sensitized patients (P<0.05). ConclusionsIL-23, IL-4 and IL-17 play important roles in allergic diseases induced by eggs, fish and dust mites. IL-23/IL-17 shaft might contribute to the chronic inflammation of allergic diseases caused by dust mites.