The Correlation of Clinical Corticosteroid Responsiveness With Expression of IL-6 in Peripheral Blood Immune Cells (PBMC) in Patients With Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED)

Hypothesis: Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) patients will differentially express interleukin (IL)-6 based on corticosteroid responsiveness. Background: AIED is characterized by periods of acute sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). In a majority of patients corticosteroid responsiveness is lost over time. The mechanisms that control corticosteroid responsiveness have not been fully elucidated. Methods: Thirty-five AIED patients and 13 age-matched control subjects were enrolled in this study. Steroid responsive (n = 15) and steroid nonresponsive AIED patients (n = 20) were characterized based on audiometry before and after treatment for acute SNHL. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained at the time of acute SNHL to quantify plasma IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), and C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 3 (CCL3). PBMCs were stimulated with dexamethasone and release of soluble IL-6, sIL-6R, and CCL3 protein into conditioned supernatants was measured. Plasma IL-6 was also correlated to serum c-reactive protein (CRP), cardiac CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the plasma IL-6 between AIED patients and controls (2.37 versus 2.03 pg/ml, p 
Source: Otology and Neurotology - Category: ENT & OMF Tags: BASIC SCIENCE Source Type: research