Abstract:
Background: IL-4 is a cytokine that induces differentiation of naive helper T cells into
Th2 cells. Once activated by IL-4, Th2 cells subsequently produce additional IL-4.
Objective: To examine the effect of IL-4 on IL-17 production and its effect in Colla-
gen-Induced Arthritis (CIA) mice. Method: In this study, a chicken collagen-II-induced
experimental arthritis (CIA) model was used in DBA/1 mice to investigate the rela-
tionship between IL-4 and IL-17 as well as other inflammatory factors. On the 38th
day after the mice were induced with CIA, the expression of IL-17 and IL-4 as well as
IFN-γ and IL-13 in sera of the mice was measured by QRT-PCR and ELISA. Result:
The result of QRT-PCR analysis of IL-17 and IL-4 mRNA levels in the spleen showed
that IL-17 is increased significantly at the onset of CIA in the spleen (p<0.01). Mean-
while, IL-17 is generally reduced at the peak of CIA but IL-4 is increased significantly
at this peak in the spleen (p<0.05) when the weight of the animal was taken into consid-
eration. Conclusion: IL-4 can be involved in the production of IL-17 at especially the
peak of CIA. These results imply that the inhibition of IL-17 may decrease the expres-
sion of IL-1β and IL-6 production which will result in the aggravation of arthritis.
