Significance of Interleukin 23 in Systemic Lupus Patients: Relation to Disease Activity and Damage Indices

Maysa M Haroon; Gehan A Hegazy; Mohammed A Hassanien; Olfat Shaker; Wafaa H Hussein

doi:10.2147/BTT.S389021

Significance of Interleukin 23 in Systemic Lupus Patients: Relation to Disease Activity and Damage Indices

Biologics. 2023 Jan 18:17:1-9. doi: 10.2147/BTT.S389021. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Maysa M Haroon¹, Gehan A Hegazy^{2

3}, Mohammed A Hassanien^{4

5}, Olfat Shaker⁶, Wafaa H Hussein¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
² Clinical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
³ Medical Division, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
⁴ Vice Presidency for Educational Affairs and Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
⁶ Departments of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Dysregulation of both cellular and humoral immune responses is central in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenetic mechanisms. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 23 (IL23), and their roles in promoting such dysregulation have recently been highly considered. This research compared IL23 serum levels in 85 Egyptian SLE patients and 85 healthy controls. Then, IL23 level was correlated to various SLE disease parameters, disease activity, and damage indices.

Results: IL23 serum levels were significantly elevated in SLE patients versus healthy individuals. Furthermore, IL23 levels were positively correlated with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and were positively correlated with arthritis, seizures, consumption of complements (C3, C4), and with parameters of nephritis (hematuria, pyuria, casts, and proteinuria). A positive correlation was also found between IL23 levels and oral prednisolone dose.

Conclusion: IL23 has higher levels in the serum of SLE patients, and is correlated to activity of the disease, especially lupus nephritis. Further researchis needed to explore its exact role in SLE pathogenesis and whether it can be considered a potential biomarker or therapeutic target in SLE.

Keywords: SLE disease activity index; interleukin 23; lupus nephritis; proinflammatory cytokines; systemic lupus erythematosus.

Grants and funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.