IL-27 was elevated in sepsis patients with acute hepatic injury, which correlated with the Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHEII) scores, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores, and procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, IL-6, and TNF-α expression.
Elevated levels of IL-17 and IL-27 are found in the serum of pediatric and adult septic patients early after sepsis onset and have been proposed as diagnostic biomarkers.
No significant differences in the genotype/allele frequencies were observed between patients with sepsis and healthy controls, suggesting that these two IL-27 polymorphisms may not influence susceptibility to sepsis.
Experiments using splenectomized mice or treatment with clodronate liposomes suggested that macrophages in the spleen may be a significant source of IL-27(p28) during sepsis.
We conclude that the deficient pro-inflammatory response in patients with sepsis is expansive and includes deficient IL-23 and excessive IL-27 gene expression.