Cytokines and chemokines involved in HLA-B27-positive ankylosing spondylitis-associated acute anterior uveitis.

Purpose: Acute anterior uveitis (AAU) is the most common extra-articular symptom of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study aims to reveal the cytokines and chemokines involved in the immunopathogenesis of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 AS-associated AAU.

Methods: Twenty-one HLA-B27 AS-associated AAU patients and 21 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study. Serum cytokine concentrations in all 42 subjects were determined by the Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) electrochemiluminescence method. In each sample, 34 cytokines, 10 chemokines, eight angiogenesis mediators, and four vascular injury mediators were measured. The differences in cytokine and chemokine concentrations were compared between the two groups.

Results: Concentrations of serum IL-3, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17D, IL-22, IP10/CXCL10, MIP-3α/CCL20, sFlt-1/VEGFR-1, CRP, and MCP-4/CCL13 were significantly higher in patients with HL-B27 AS-associated AAU than in HCs ( < 0.05). In contrast, concentrations of serum IL-4, IL-8, MIP-1α/CCL3, Eotaxin-3/CCL26, PlGF, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D were significantly lower in patients with HL-B27 AS-associated AAU than in HCs ( < 0.05).

Conclusions: Significant differences were detected in the levels of several cytokines and chemokines in the serum of HLA-B27 AS-associated AAU compared with HCs. Some novel differential cytokines and chemokines that have not been reported in other kinds of uveitis were also identified. These results reveal the underlying pathogenesis of HLA-B27 AS-associated AAU and could potentially aid in clinical diagnosis.