Serum cytokine and chemokine profiles in patients with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is a pathologically defined diagnosis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Adequate studies on cytokines of IMNM is lacking. We measured serum levels of 27 cytokines/chemokines in 22 IMNM patients, 10 sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM) patients, and 23 other neurological disorders (ONDs) patients. In IMNM patients, the correlations between clinical features and cytokine/chemokine levels, and changes in cytokine/chemokine levels after immunosuppressive therapy were examined. Compared with ONDs patients, IMNM patients had significantly increased serum levels of several cytokines. In particular, IP-10 and MIP-1 alpha levels were prominently increased, decreased after immunosuppressive-therapy, and correlated with serum creatine kinase levels. IP-10 and MIP-1 alpha could play important roles in the IMNM pathogenesis.

Automated summary

This study measured serum levels of cytokines in IMNM patients and found that IP-10 and MIP-1 alpha levels were significantly increased, correlated with changes after immunosuppressive therapy and serum creatine kinase levels. IP-10 and MIP-1 alpha may play important roles in the pathogenesis of IMNM.