TH17 functional study in severe asthma using agent based model
JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY
Authors: Song, Liyan; Guo, Yunbo; Deng, Qingkai; Li, Jinming
Abstract
TH17 is a subset of CD4+T cells. Comparing to common asthma patients, there are more TH17 cells in the respiratory systems of the patients with severe asthma. TH17 cells are mainly adjusted by IL23 to produce IL17A and IL17F, which act on the epithelial cells and cause severe asthma. However, the TH17 function in severe asthma as a driving mechanism of neutrophilic inflammation is not yet fully understood and deserves further study. However, it is very difficult to describe the interactions between TH17 and other cells using mathematics equations due to the high complexity of immunity system. In order to explore the TH17 function in severe asthma, we used BIS (Basic Immune Simulator) platform to simulate TH17 models, and compared DC (Dendritic Cell) models with TH17 models. We studied the interaction between innate immune and adaptive immune cells, which was resulted from TH17 cells. The simulation results for the TH17 models are consistent with clinical data, which suggests that DC-IL23-TH17 axis might be the path of causing severe asthma. Our simulation studies support a role for TH17 in severe asthma, and hence it could be taken as a new target candidate for clinical treatment of severe asthma. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Is Interleukin-17 Involved in the Interaction Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gingival Inflammation?
JOURNAL OF PERIODONTOLOGY
Authors: Ozcaka, Ozgun; Buduneli, Nurcan; Ceyhan, Banu Ozturk; Akcali, Aliye; Hannah, Victoria; Nile, Christopher; Lappin, David F.
Abstract
Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder of females of reproductive age that impacts their oral and systemic health. The aim of this study is to evaluate interleukin-17A (IL-17A), IL-17F, IL-17A/F, and IL-17E (IL-25) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), saliva, and serum of non-obese females with PCOS and with either a clinically healthy periodontium or gingivitis. Methods: Thirty-one females with PCOS, 30 females with PCOS and gingivitis, and 12 systemically and periodontally healthy females participated in the study. Clinical periodontal measurements, body mass index, and Ferriman Gallwey score (FGS) (a measure of hirsutism in females) were recorded. Circulating levels of sex hormones, cortisol, and insulin were also determined. Levels of IL-17 cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The general linear model multivariate analysis, adjusting for age or plaque index, showed that the two groups with PCOS had higher concentrations of IL-17A, IL17F, and IL-17A/F in serum and higher levels of IL-17A and IL-17F in GCF and saliva but lower serum IL-17E than systemically healthy females. Levels of IL-17E were lowest in females with PCOS and gingivitis who also had the highest FGS. Serum IL-17A and IL-17F levels correlated positively with FGS and periodontal probing depth (all r > 0.33; P < 0.005). Serum IL-17E showed the reverse relationship and also correlated negatively with IL-17A (r >-0.28; P < 0.05). Conclusions: IL-17 levels are altered in non-obese females with PCOS and may influence gingival inflammation. Additional studies are warranted to clarify the relationship between PCOS and gingivitis.