Premium
Serum levels of GRO‐α are elevated in association with disease activity in patients with Behçet’s disease
Author(s) -
Kato Yasunobu,
Yamamoto Toshiyuki
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2011.04998.x
Subject(s) - behcet's disease , medicine , pathogenesis , erythema nodosum , gastroenterology , etiology , immunology , disease , endocrinology
Abstract Background Although the etiology of Behçet’s disease (BD) is still unknown, neutrophils are implicated in its pathogenesis. Growth‐related oncogene‐α (GRO‐α) is a potent chemoattractant and activator for neutrophils. Objective To determine the role of GRO‐α in the pathogenesis of BD, we investigated serum GRO‐α levels in patients with BD. Materials and methods Sera from patients with BD ( n = 57) and control subjects ( n = 26) were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of GRO‐α were compared with clinical symptoms. Results Patients with BD had significantly elevated serum GRO‐α levels compared with healthy controls (121.7 ± 79.2 pg/ml vs. 75.9 ± 20.6 pg/ml, P < 0.01). Concerning the subgroups of BD, serum GRO‐α levels in active patients with BD ( n = 35) were significantly higher than in inactive patients with BD ( n = 22; 139.0 ± 92.8 pg/ml vs. 94.3 ± 36.2 pg/ml, P < 0.05). Also, as seen in previous studies, serum interleukin‐8 levels in patients with BD (52.4 ± 81.8 pg/ml) were significantly higher than in controls (13.9 ± 19.7 pg/ml, P < 0.01). Enhanced GRO‐α levels correlated with clinical symptoms such as erythema nodosum. Conclusion Our results indicate that serum levels of GRO‐α are elevated in patients with active stage BD, suggesting that GRO‐α may serve as a reliable marker for disease activity of BD.