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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders: Autoinflammatory Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1434738
This article is part of the Research Topic Community Series in Advances in Pathogenesis and Therapies of Gout: Volume II View all 6 articles

The decreased serum levels of interleukin-38 in patients with gout and its clinical significance

Provisionally accepted
Hua Huang Hua Huang Yinxin Zhou Yinxin Zhou Yan Li Yan Li Hui Zhao Hui Zhao Xiudi Wu Xiudi Wu Mingcai Li Mingcai Li *
  • Ningbo University, Ningbo, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Interleukin (IL)-38 is a newly discovered anti-inflammatory cytokine. However, its concentration and clinical significance in patients with gout remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the levels of IL-38 in patients with gout and evaluate their clinical significance.Methods: Thirty-two patients with active gout, 27 patients with inactive gout, and 20 negative controls (NCs) were included in the study. Clinical parameters, including white blood cell count, Creactive protein, serum amyloid A, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, uric acid, urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutamyl transpeptidase, and glycoserated serum protein, were obtained from laboratory tests of blood samples. The serum concentration of IL-38 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman's correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve assessments were used to investigate the role and diagnostic value of IL-38 in gout.Results: Patients with active and inactive gout exhibited significantly lower serum IL-38 levels than NCs. No significant differences were observed between the two gout groups. A negative correlation was observed between IL-38 and white blood cell counts, whereas a positive correlation was found between IL-38 and creatinine levels. Furthermore, IL-38, either alone or in combination with uric acid, demonstrated substantial diagnostic potential. The findings suggest that the decreased serum levels of IL-38 in patients with gout compared to that in NCs indicates that IL-38 may have immunomodulatory effects on gout inflammation and possesses clinical application value.

    Keywords: Gout, Interleukin-38, Uric Acid, Inflammation, biomarker

    Received: 18 May 2024; Accepted: 30 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Huang, Zhou, Li, Zhao, Wu and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mingcai Li, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.