Ustekinumab, a fully human IgG1κ monoclonal antibody directed towards the p40 shared subunit of IL-12 and IL-23, has been recently investigated in SLE, suggesting a potential novel therapeutic strategy in SLE.
Although IL-9 has been recognized as a classical Th2-related cytokine, recent studies have indicated that IL-9-producing cells contribute to a group of autoimmune disorders including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis.
In RA patients, we found a reduction at T5 compared to T0 in serum levels of both TGFβ (p = 0.0016) and IL-9 (p = 0.0007); serum IL-9 levels were also reduced in SLE patients at T5 with respect to T0 (p = 0.03).
The results showed that the plasma concentration and mRNA levels of IL-9 were significantly elevated in SLE patients compared with the healthy controls.