Increased Interleukin-17F is Associated with Elevated Autoantibody Levels and More Clinically Relevant Than Interleukin-17A in Primary Sj�gren's Syndrome

Th17 related immune response is pathogenic in primary sj�gren's syndrome (pss). however,the role of il-17f,one potent inflammatory member of il-17 family cytokines in pss,has not been specifically defined. we recruited one hundred and nine pss patients and forty-two healthy controls and their serum levels of il-17a and il-17f were determined by multiplex cytokine assays. white blood cell,red blood cell,neutrophil,lymphocyte,igm,igg,c3,c4,rf,ana,anti-ssa antibody,and anti-ssb antibody were measured by standard laboratory techniques. eular sj�gren's syndrome disease activity index (essdai) score was also evaluated accordingly. we found that il-17f was significantly increased in pss patients. elevated levels of il-17f were associated with increased igg and igm,higher titers of ana and anti-ssa antibodies,and reduction of c3 and c4. patients with higher disease activity also showed higher serum il-17f levels. however,serum il-17a was only increased in patients with longer disease duration and showed few correlation with clinical and laboratory features in pss patients. in conclusion,il-17f was correlated with increased autoantibody levels and disease activity in pss and is more clinically relevant than il-17a. � 2017 yuzhou gan et al.