梅毒血清学试验阳性患者血清IL-17、IL-21水平与TRUST滴度相关性分析

The relationship of serum IL-17 and IL-21 levels and TRUST titer in syphilis patients with positive serological test

目的:通过检测梅毒血清学试验阳性患者血清中IL-17、IL-21的表达水平,探讨梅毒血清固定形成的相关免疫机制。方法:随机选取30例血清梅毒固定患者作为梅毒血清固定组,以早期梅毒患者、驱梅治疗后TRUST阴转者和健康体检者各30例作为对照组,ELISA法检测血清IL-17、IL-21水平,对比组间白细胞介素水平差异;对早期梅毒患者、梅毒血清固定患者IL-17、IL-21水平与TRUST滴度关系行Pearson相关性分析。结果:早期梅毒组血清IL-17[(25.43±4.58)pg/mL]、IL-21[(36.14±6.54)pg/mL]水平最高,与其它三组比较差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05);梅毒血清固定组血清IL-17[(8.84±1.46)pg/mL]、IL-21[(16.52±5.84)pg/mL]水平低于健康对照组和治疗后TRUST转阴组,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05);健康对照组[IL-17:(11.52±2.51)pg/mL;IL-21:(21.56±5.38)pg/mL]和治疗后TRUST转阴组[IL-17:(11.64±2.49)pg/mL;IL-21:(21.05±5.16)pg/mL]组间比较,差异无统计学意义(P值均>0.05)。早期梅毒组IL-17、IL-21水平与TRUST滴度正相关(r值分别为0.75、0.62,P值均<0.05);梅毒血清固定组的IL-17、IL-21水平与TRUST滴度无相关性(r值分别为0.22、0.15,P值均>0.05)。结论:早期梅毒患者体内的IL-17、IL-21参与了梅毒免疫过程;梅毒血清固定患者血清中IL-17、IL-21水平异常可能与血清固定的形成相关,但与TRUST滴度不相关。

Objective:To explore the immune mechanism of syphilitic sero-fixation by measuring the expression levels of serum IL-17 and IL-21 in syphilis patients with positive serological test.Methods:Subjects included syphilitic sero-fixation,syphilis with Toluidine red unheated serum test(TRUST)negative,early syphilis,and normal healthy controls,30 subjects per groups.Serum concentrations of IL-17 and IL-21 were measured by ELISA,while TRUST titers were measured with TRUST kit.The differences in serum IL-17 and IL-21 levels were compared among four groups.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between TRUST titers and IL-17 and IL-21 levels.Results:The serum levels of IL-17[(25.43±4.58)pg/mL]and IL-21[(36.14±6.54)pg/mL]in early syphilis group were significantly higher than that in the other three groups(P<0.05).The concentrations of serum IL-17[(8.84±1.46)pg/mL]and IL-21[(16.52±5.84)pg/mL]in syphilitic sero-fixation group were lower than those in both healthy controls[IL-17:(11.52±2.51)pg/mL;IL-21:(21.56±5.38)pg/mL]and the TRUST negative subjects[IL-17:(11.64±2.49)pg/mL;IL-21:(21.05±5.16)pg/mL](P<0.05),but were not comparable between the healthy controls and TRUST negative subjects(P>0.05).The serum levels of IL-17 and IL-21 were correlated positively with TRUST titers in the early syphilis patients(r=0.75,0.62,respectively,both P<0.05),but not in syphilitic sero-fixation patients(r=0.22,0.15,respectively,both P>0.05).Conclusions:Both IL-17 and IL-21 are involved in the syphilis immune process in early syphilis.The formation of syphilitic sero-fixation could be associated with decreased serum levels of IL-17 and IL-21,but not TRUST titers.