Serum cytokine and chemokine profiles in patients with myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune-mediated inflammatory disease of the neuromuscular junction. Previous studies of animal MG models have suggested important roles of cytokines in MG pathogenesis, but adequate studies on cytokines in human MG are lacking. Using a multiplex suspension array system, we measured the serum levels of 27 cytokines/chemokines in 47 anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive patients with MG and 20 normal controls (NC) to investigate the contribution of cytokines/chemokines toward MG pathogenesis. Correlations between clinical parameters and cytokine/chemokine levels in patients with MG were also examined. The serum levels of interleukin (IL)-15 (mean +/- standard deviation: 6 center dot 85 +/- 6 center dot 97 pg/ml) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (96 center dot 21 +/- 71 center dot 60 pg/ml) significantly increased, whereas IL-4 levels (3 center dot 57 +/- 0 center dot 86 pg/ml) decreased in patients with MG compared with NC (IL-15: 4 center dot 42 +/- 1 center dot 55 pg/ml; VEGF: 63 center dot 51 +/- 32 center dot 95 pg/ml; IL-4: 4 center dot 15 +/- 0 center dot 81 pg/ml, P < 0 center dot 05). In addition, eight cytokines (IL-4, IL-8, IL-15, eotaxin, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta, VEGF and IL-1b) were significantly changed among MG patients with thymoma, MG patients without thymoma and NC (P < 0 center dot 05). Some cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-15, and VEGF, may play roles in the pathogenesis of MG.