BEHCET'S DISEASE (BD) is a chronic systemic infl ammatory autoimmune disease of unknown cause. It is characterized by elevated levels of proinfl ammatory cytokines that have been previously reported, yet the pathogenesis is still unknown.
Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that remain latent in the cytoplasm and shuttles to the nucleus whenever activated. On activation, NF-κB regulates the enzymes cytokines (IL-6, IL-8). NF-κB has been contributing to a wide variety of autoimmune diseases amongst which is BD. NF-κB pathways were involved in the anti-apoptotic activity of leptin in neutrophils in vitro. The present study was conducted to determine serum NF-κB levels, and its role in modulating the expression of different cytokines (IL-6, IL-8) in active BD patients. This is in addition to studying the relationship of leptin with NF-κB, IL-6 and IL-8.
The current study included 25 patients with active BD and 25 healthy controls. Serum IL-6, IL-8 and NF-κB levels were measured with quantitative sandwich ELISA kit enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, while leptin serum levels were measured using specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) kits.
IL-6, IL-8, NF-κB and leptin were significantly higher in BD group than in the control group. Also, there was a positive correlation between IL-8, IL-6, NF-κB and leptin.
New insights of the role of leptin in the autoimmune pathophysiology was studied, and its relationship with NF-κB, IL-6 and IL-8 in these patients was detected and might help in elucidation of its pathogenesis. Further studies, are required to encourage the use of anti- NF-κB and anti-Leptin as recent treatment modalities in BD.