Serum levels of soluble IL-2 receptor, soluble ICAM-1, TNF-alpha, interleukin-4 and interleukin-6 in scleroderma

Background A variety of immunological markers have been reported to be elevated in patients with systemic scleroderma (SSc). Objective The aim of this study was to determine which of the following parameters: soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2r). soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1), tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) reflect the clinical stage of the disease and how they correlate with each other. Methods In 31 scleroderma patients the serum levels of these markers were measured in the same blood sample using ELISA test kits. The results were correlated with clinical findings such as extent of skin disease, inflammatory disease activity and involvement of internal organs. Results SIL-2r, slCAM-1 and TNF-alpha showed significant differences in subgroups of SSc patients in contrast to IL-4and IL-6, The five parameters did not correlate with each other. Conclusion sIL-2r, sICAM-1 and TNF-alpha showed differences in subgroups of scleroderma and therefore they may be useful in further studies as markers of disease activity.