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. 2024 Feb 8;19(1):20220814.
doi: 10.1515/biol-2022-0814. eCollection 2024.

Role of serum B-cell-activating factor and interleukin-17 as biomarkers in the classification of interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features

Affiliations

Role of serum B-cell-activating factor and interleukin-17 as biomarkers in the classification of interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features

Lihong Zhao et al. Open Life Sci. .

Abstract

Interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features (IPAF) is a type of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with immune features that do not meet the diagnostic criteria for specific connective tissue diseases (CTDs). This retrospective case-control study investigated the role of serum B-cell-activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF) and interleukin (IL)-17 as biomarkers for IPAF. The differences in serum BAFF, IL-17, and IL-10 were compared among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), IPAF, ILD associated with CTD (CTD-ILD), and healthy controls. The patients were treatment naïve. The correlations of BAFF with IL-10, IL-17, and pulmonary function were analyzed. The classifiable value of BAFF for IPAF was examined. The results showed that the serum levels of BAFF and IL-17 in the IPAF and CTD-ILD groups were higher than in the IPF group. High BAFF levels and high predicted diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were independent predictive factors for IPAF vs IPF. In the IPAF and CTD-ILD groups, serum BAFF levels were negatively correlated with predicted values of forced vital capacity (FVC%) and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO%) and positively correlated with serum IL-17 and IL-10 levels. The cutoff value of combined BAFF and IL-17 was 0.704, and the sensitivity and specificity for classifying IPAF were 78.9 and 95.7%, respectively. In conclusion, combining serum BAFF and IL-17 as a biomarker may have classifiable value in differentiating IPAF from other forms of ILD.

Keywords: BAFF; inflammatory mechanism; interleukin-17; interstitial lung disease; pneumonia autoimmune features.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of serum (a) BAFF, (b) IL-17, and (c) IL-10 in the IPAF (n = 23), CTD-ILD (n = 23), IPF (n = 19), and HC (n = 22) groups. A pairwise comparison of variables between the groups was performed using post hoc analysis. BAFF: B-cell-activating factor of the TNF family; IL-17: interleukin-17; IL-10: interleukin-10; IPAF: interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features; CTD-ILD: interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue disease; IPF: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; HC: healthy control.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation analysis of serum BAFF with (a and b) PFT parameters, (c) IL-17, and (d) IL-10 in the IPAF and CTD-ILD groups. BAFF: B-cell-activating factor of the TNF family; IL-17: interleukin-17; IL-10: interleukin-10; FVC: forced vital capacity; DLCO: diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide; IPAF: interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features; CTD-ILD: interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue disease.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a and b) ROC curve analysis of different serum BAFF and IL-17 levels between patients with IPAF and IPF. (c and d) ROC curve analysis of different serum BAFF and IL-17 levels between patients with CTD-ILD and IPF. BAFF: B-cell-activating factor of the TNF family; IL-17: interleukin-17.

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