Serum levels of GRO-α are elevated in association with disease activity in patients with Behçet's disease.

Background: Although the etiology of Behçet's disease (BD) is still unknown, neutrophils are implicated in its pathogenesis. Growth-related oncogene-α (GRO-α) is a potent chemoattractant and activator for neutrophils.

Objective: To determine the role of GRO-α in the pathogenesis of BD, we investigated serum GRO-α levels in patients with BD.

Materials And Methods: Sera from patients with BD (n=57) and control subjects (n=26) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of GRO-α were compared with clinical symptoms.

Results: Patients with BD had significantly elevated serum GRO-α levels compared with healthy controls (121.7±79.2pg/ml vs. 75.9±20.6pg/ml, P<0.01). Concerning the subgroups of BD, serum GRO-α levels in active patients with BD (n=35) were significantly higher than in inactive patients with BD (n=22; 139.0±92.8 pg/ml vs. 94.3±36.2pg/ml, P<0.05). Also, as seen in previous studies, serum interleukin-8 levels in patients with BD (52.4±81.8pg/ml) were significantly higher than in controls (13.9±19.7pg/ml, P<0.01). Enhanced GRO-α levels correlated with clinical symptoms such as erythema nodosum.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that serum levels of GRO-α are elevated in patients with active stage BD, suggesting that GRO-α may serve as a reliable marker for disease activity of BD.