Abstracts (complete list) - Wissenschaft Online

Denise Bogdanski, Thomas M. Frangen, Christian Schinkel, Gert Muhr, Manfred Köller
The role of IL-17 in the post traumatic phase of polytrauma
patients.
Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is produced by a T-cell subpopulation (Th17/Th17). IL-17 as a
central mediator in inflammatory processes connects T-cell stimulation with neutrophil
mobilization. The role of IL-17 in the immune dysfunction after servere injuries is not
clarified. In a study with 71 patients (55 men, 16 women) systemic IL-17 and IL-6
concentrations of polytraumatized patients were daily analyzed by ELISA. The majority
of the patients (94%) showed no systemic IL-17 or the IL-17 concentrations were in the
range of healthy volunteers. Only in 6% of the patients was an increase in systemic IL-
17 values detected. To identify the possible role of IL-17 in the post traumatic phase
the patients were divided in two groups. Group A (47 men, 15 women) consists of
patients with IL-17 concentrations in the range of healthy volunteers and group B (8
men, 1 woman) consists of patients with elevated IL-17 concentrations. In group B
systemic IL-6 (median 41 pg/ml, range 3-709 pg/ml) correlated with systemic IL-17 (75
pg/ml, range 0.1-1822 pg/ml, r=0.258, p≤0.01). The patients in group B showed no
conformity in injury patterns, ISS, age, outcome, intensive care periode or clinical
complications.
After a period of four years we were able to obtain a blood sample from a now
recovered patient who formerly belonged to the high IL-17 group. Now, the systemic IL-
17 level was below the detection limit, but stimulation of PBMCs obtained from this
patient showed elevated numbers of IL-17 producing cells as determined by ELISpot
and flow cytometry. It has to be proven by further studies whether highly increased
systemic IL-17 concentrations detected in distinct patients were related to a genetic
predisposition of these subjects.