Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the monocytes and T cell response of Behcet’s disease (BD) patients to Toll-like receptor ligands including LPS, PGN, R848 and PolyI:C.
Methods: :
Monocytes and naïve T cells from sixteen active BD patients, eight inactive BD patients, eight Fuchs’ syndrome patients and sixteen controls were cultured with or without LPS, PGN, R848 or PolyI:C. IL-17, IL-1ß and IL-23 were measured by ELISA in the culture supernatants. Total RNA was extracted from PBMCs of active BD patients and normal controls to measure mRNA expression of TLR2,TLR3,TLR4, and TLR8.
Results: :
A significantly higher level of IL-17 was observed in the supernatants of naive T cells and monocytes stimulated with any one of the Toll-like receptor ligands in either active or inactive BD patients as compared with Fuchs’ syndrome patients and controls. Significantly higher levels of IL-1ß were detected in the supernatants of monocytes stimulated with any one of these ligands in active BD patients as compared with inactive BD patients, Fuchs’ syndrome patients and controls. LPS and PGN could significantly promote IL-23 production by monocytes from active BD patients. No significant difference was observed in the RNA levels of the tested 4 Toll-like receptors between active BD patients and normal controls.
Conclusions: :
LPS,PGN, R848 and polyI:C upregulated IL-17 expression by naïve T cells in BD patients. LPS and PGN, but not R848 and polyI:C, could induce IL-1ß and IL-23 expression by monocytes. Hyperresponsiveness to certain ligands of Toll-like receptors may be involved in BD pathogenesis.
Keywords: autoimmune disease • uvea