Relationship between IL-27 and coronary arterial lesions in children with Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) arises due to the disorder of the inflammation response and faulty immune regulation. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a novel cytokine with both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. This study investigated the relationship between serum levels of IL-27, Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and coronary artery lesions (CALs) in patients with KD. We obtained blood samples from 81 children with KD before intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. Levels of IL-27, IL-17A, IL-10, IL-6, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were measured in 251 cases, including 4 groups: the normal control group, NC (n = 90), febrile control, FC (n = 80), KD without coronary arteries (n = 41) and KD with coronary arterial lesions (n = 40). White blood cells counts (WBC), red blood cells counts (RBC), hemoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate and procalcitonin (PCT) were tested in all subjects. Levels of IL-27, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-6, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were significantly elevated, and RBC and hemoglobin significantly decreased in the group of KD group compared with febrile and control groups. IL-27, IL-6, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha serum levels are even higher in KD children with CALs. There was positive relationship between serum levels of IL-27 and WBC, CRP, PCT, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in children with KD. The up-regulation of IL-27 may be closely linked to up-regulation of systemic pro-inflammatory markers in acute KD. Morover, IL-27 may be involved in the development of CALs in acute KD.