The clinical significance of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines in the patients with acute and chronic brucellosis

Abstract

Objective The concentrations of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines were compared in acute and chronic patients with brucellosis in order to understand the immune characteristics of acute and chronic brucellosis. Methods Using forward-looking design, 35 acute and 35 chronic patients with brucellosis were selected before treatment from the Endemic Disease Prevention and Control Center of Wulanchabu City as the research subjects with 25 local healthy persons as the healthy control group from March to June 2018. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to determine the serum levels of Th1 cell cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-12 (IL-12); Th2 cell cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10); and Th17 cell cytokines interleukin-17 (IL-17). Results There were totally 25 patients in the control group, aged (46.48 ± 9.74) years, 15 males and 10 females; 35 patients with acute brucellosis, aged (54.00 ± 7.65) years, 23 males and 12 females; and 35 patients with chronic brucellosis, aged (49.04 ± 8.24) years, 22 males and 13 females. The means of IFN-γ [(280.50 ± 40.48), (462.79 ± 47.94), (431.91 ± 40.39) ng/L], TNF-α [(292.17 ± 31.45), (481.21 ± 43.14), (433.70 ± 41.23) ng/L], IL-12 [(45.13 ± 5.55), (70.74 ± 7.58), (62.56 ± 5.73) ng/L], IL-4 [(383.24 ± 53.98), (606.11 ± 51.86), (550.66 ± 51.56) ng/L], IL-6 [(14.48 ± 2.17), (23.54 ± 2.39), (21.89 ± 2.26) ng/L], IL-10 [(140.48 ± 110.97), (464.49 ± 52.10), (404.73 ± 52.10) ng/L], and IL-17 [(13.71 ± 1.58), (23.79 ± 2.15), (21.37 ± 2.26) ng/L] were significantly different between control group, acute brucellosis group and chronic brucellosis group (F = 126.13, 152.58, 106.81, 139.28, 113.80, 155.86, 152.91, P < 0.05). Compared to control group, the levels of the seven cytokines in acute brucellosis and chronic brucellosis groups were significantly increased before treatment (P < 0.05). The levels of all of the seven cytokines in acute brucellosis group were significantly increased compared to chronic brucellosis group before treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusions There is a difference in the expression of Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines in patients with acute and chronic brucellosis group. In the acute brucellosis group, the cell immunity induced by Th1 cells and the humoral immunity guided by Th2 cells are stronger than those in chronic brucellosis group. Key words: Brucellosis; Th1 cell cytokines; Th2 cell cytokines; Th17 cells cytokines