interleukin-8 and Myasthenia-Gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by antibodies directed against components of the neuromuscular junction. Currently, the diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation rely on the serum acetylcholine receptor (AchR) antibody titer, which is not reliable for monitoring. The disruption of the menus had been implicated in many immunological disorders, including MG. A quantitative PCR was used to evaluate the miR-20b level. ELISA was used to determine the levels of IL-8 and IL-25 in serum. Quantitative MG scores (QMGS) were used to examine the clinical manifestations. Here, we report that miR-20b, an immune- and cancer-related miRNA, is decreased in the serum of MG patients and correlates negatively with QMGSs in the pretreatment stage. Furthermore, after treatment with prednisone acetate, levels of miR-20b recover but remain negatively correlated with the QMGS. We also identified that IL-8 and IL-25 are targets of miR-20b via the luciferase reporter system. Both of these are increased in MG and correlate negatively with miR-20b. Furthermore, IL-8 and IL-25 levels are decreased following treatment with prednisone acetate. Our data suggest that miR-20b might be a potential biomarker for MG.

Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Interleukin-17; Interleukin-8; Male; MicroRNAs; Myasthenia Gravis

To study the relationship between the abnormal differentiation thymocytes and the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG).. The gene expression of some ILs, IFN and their receptors was examined by cDNA array. The percentage of CD45RO(+) and D45RA(+) thymocytes was measured by flow cytometry (FCM). The expression and distribution of CD45RA and CD45RO in the samples of thymus tissues were observed by immunohistochemistry.. The levels of IL-1R, IL-4R, IFNgammaR1, IFNgammaR2, IL-6 and IL-8 in the patients with MG were lower than those of normal controls and there were significant differences between them. But the levels of IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-7, IFN-alpha, IFN-beta and IFN-gamma showed no significant changes in patients with MG in comparison with normal controls. The percentage of CD56(+) thymocytes in MG patients 0.56+/-0.33 was significantly lower than that in normal controls(1.78+/-0.69).The CD45RO(+) and CD1a(+) in MG patients increased more significantly those in normal controls. The immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR showed the same result.. Aberrant transformation from CD45R0(+)T to CD45RA(+)T has been found in the development of thymocytes of the patients with MG.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Cytokines; Female; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Interferon gamma Receptor; Interferon-alpha; Interferon-beta; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-1; Interleukin-10; Interleukin-2; Interleukin-4; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-7; Interleukin-8; Leukocyte Common Antigens; Male; Middle Aged; Myasthenia Gravis; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Receptors, Interferon; Receptors, Interleukin-1; Receptors, Interleukin-4; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Thymus Gland; Young Adult