Introduction: One of the most prevalent skin disorders is acne vulgaris. It is a distressing problem among young adults and adolescents. The pathophysiology of AV is significantly influenced by certain immune response cells. Acne's localized tissue inflammatory reactions are brought on by the bacteria Cutibacterium acnes, which also causes the release of several inflammatory mediators.
Aim of the work: To measure the serum levels of IL-1 and IL-12, two pro-inflammatory cytokines, and IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, in AV patients and link those levels with the severity of the condition.
Results: This study included 19 males and 23 females with AV(n = 42), with mean age of 21.79 ± 3.5. The control group included 19 males and 23 female (n = 42) with mean age of 22.05 ± 3.3 (p = 0.729). Serum levels of IL-1β was significantly higher in patients with AV as than controls (p < 0.001). Similarly, the serum levels of IL-12 were significantly higher in AV cases than controls (p < 0.001). On the contrary, the median IL-10 was significantly lower in AV cases than controls (p = 0.015). The correlation between serum levels of IL-1β and IL-12 in AV patients and disease severity was insignificant (r = -0.04, p = 0.404) and (r = -0.19, p = 0.118, respectively). (r = -0.19, p = 0.118) On the contrary, there was a significant negative correlation between serum levels of IL-10 in AV patients and disease severity (r = -0.43, p = 0.003).
Conclusion: Our results indicate significant alterations in the monocyte-derived cytokine (MDCs) profile in patients with AV, IL-1 and IL-12 serum levels rose while IL-10 levels fell, reflecting an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines and a decrease in anti-inflammatory cytokines. These highlight the important role played by monocytes in the pathogenesis of AV.
Keywords: Cutibacterium acnes; acne vulgaris; interleukins.
© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.