Abstract
ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to simultaneously examine the transcript levels of a large number of interleukins (ILs; IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, IL-26, and IL-27) and investigate their correlation with the clinicopathological profiles of patients with tuberculous intervertebral discs.MethodsClinical data were collected from 150 patients participating in the study from January 2013 to December 2013. mRNA expression levels in 70 tuberculous, 70 herniated, and 10 control intervertebral disc specimens were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction.ResultsIL-10, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, and IL-27 displayed stronger expression in tuberculous spinal disc tissue than in normal intervertebral disc tissue (P<0.05). Our results illustrated multiple correlations among IL-10, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, and IL-27 mRNA expression in tuberculous samples. Smoking habits were found to have a positive correlation with IL-17 transcript levels and a negative correlation with IL-10 transcript levels (P<0.05). Pain intensity, symptom duration, C-reactive protein levels, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate exhibited multiple correlations with the transcript levels of several ILs (P<0.05).ConclusionsThe experimental data imply a double-sided effect on the activity of ILs in tuberculous spinal intervertebral discs, suggesting that they may be involved in intervertebral discs destruction. Our findings also suggest that smoking may affect the intervertebral discs destruction process of spinal tuberculosis. However, further studies are necessary to elucidate the exact role of ILs in the intervertebral discs destruction process of spinal tuberculosis.
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) represents a challenging public health problem across the world
The IL-10, IL12, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, and IL-27 amplification curves revealed that the cycle threshold (Ct) values were within an
Investigations of spinal TB focused on the transcript levels of ILs in tuberculous intervertebral disc specimens, which were important for the inflammatory and immune mechanisms involved in the development of TB
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) represents a challenging public health problem across the world. According to the World Health Organization, one-third of the world’s population is believed to be infected with the causative bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Spinal TB is common, little information is available on the inflammatory and immune mechanisms involved in its development. It is unclear which cells and mediators are involved in the intervertebral disc destruction processes and whether resident immunocompetent cells orchestrate the development of an inflammatory response. The interleukin (IL) family plays important roles in inflammatory and immune responses to TB [5,6,7]. The role of such factors in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc tuberculosis destruction is deserving of elucidation
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