Serum cytokine receptor levels in noninfectious uveitis.

PURPOSE: Understanding of the role of cytokines in uveitis may provide new clues to its treatment. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate systemic cytokine receptor expression in patients with noninfectious uveitis.
METHOD: Serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha (IL-2 s Ralpha) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNF-R1) were measured in patients with intermediate uveitis (n = 26), posterior uveitis (n = 23) and healthy controls (n = 12) using ELISA. All patients were identified in a consecutive series of 996 uveitis patients who had been diagnosed between 1998 and 2002 and classified according to the recommendations of the International Uveitis Study Group. Inclusion criteria were idiopathic, active intraocular inflammation, uveitis as a primary process and no systemic anti-inflammatory treatment at the time of blood sampling. None of the patients had an underlying systemic disease.
RESULTS: Serum concentrations of IL-2 s Ralpha were significantly increased in patients with posterior (p < 0.005) and intermediate uveitis (p < 0.005) as compared to healthy controls. Similarly, concentrations of sTNF-R1 appeared to be increased in posterior (p < 0.005) and intermediate (p < 0.005) uveitis patients when compared to controls.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results may suggest that patients with noninfectious uveitis express systemic cytokine receptors such as TNF-R1 and IL-2 Ralpha, which may have an important role in the immune response of the eye and may lead to new immunomodulatory approaches. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.