HIGH INTERLEUKIN-10 PRODUCTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTI-ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR ANTIBODY PRODUCTION AND TREATMENT RESPONSE IN JUVENILE MYASTHENIA GRAVIS

Abstract

To investigate the significance of humoral immunological factors in juvenile myasthenia gravis (JMG) patients, 11 children with JMG (age of onset between 2 and 13 years) and 8 healthy controls were enrolled. Plasma IL-2, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α, complement factor C3, C4, and C1q levels were measured by ELISA. IL-2, IL-10, TNF-α, C3, and C4 levels were significantly elevated in the patient group. Moreover, plasma IL-10 levels were associated with the presence of anti-AChR antibody and response to treatment suggesting a critical role for IL-10 in JMG pathogenesis.

Keywords:

• autoimmunity
• complement
• cytokine
• interleukin-10
• juvenile myasthenia gravis
• myasthenia gravis