Camelia Ciacli and Camelia Gurban
Aim: Our aim is to assess comparative interleukin 4 and interleukin 13 levels in serum and in synovial fluid for patients with psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis as well as comparative evaluation of serum levels of these antiinflammatory cytokines with lumbar T score. Methods: The study was performed on three groups: group 1 consists of 27 patients with psoriatic arthritis, group 2 consists of 21 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and the control group consists of 20 healthy patients. For each of these groups we have identified the anti-inflammatory cytokines in blood and synovial fluid. We also established a clinically useful correlation between blood concentration of these cytokines and lumbar T score. Results: In group 1 serum IL-4 in most patients showed no detectable serum concentration, and IL- 13 had values between 2.67 and 4.99 pg/ml, p1<0.01-ES, and the lumbar T score was ranged between 1.58 and 1.77 DS, p?1<0.01. In group 2 serum IL-4 in most patients showed no detectable serum concentration, and IL-13 had values between 2.21 and 13.32 pg/ml, p2<0.002-ES, and the lumbar T score had values between -2.51 and -3.41 DS, p?2<0001-ES. In the control group IL-4 was not detected in serum, serum IL- 13 had values between 2.05 and 3.35 pg/ml, and the lumbar T score had values between 0.29 and 1.3 DS. In the synovial fluid the interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 were found in both groups of the patients studied. We also found that in patients with psoriatic arthritis there is an increase in the ratio of the concentration of IL-13 in synovial fluid and blood as opposed to those with rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion: There are significant differences regarding the profile of anti-inflammatory cytokines from serum and synovial fluid of patients with psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, also in psoriatic arthritis exist a local production of interleukin-13 in the inflamed joint.