IL-31, IL-33, and TSLP expression and relation to severity of asthma and rhinitis in Chinese allergic patients

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and pathological significance of interleukin 31 (IL-31), interleukin 33 (IL-33), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in serum of patients with asthma and/or rhinitis. The levels of IL-31, IL-33, and TSLP were measured by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assays in serum samples from 64 cases of asthma patients, 64 cases of rhinitis patients, 64 cases of asthmatic patients with allergic rhinitis, and 32 cases of healthy controls. Human specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) was measured by EUROALLER system. Compared with healthy controls, serum levels of IL-31, IL-33, and TSLP in patients with rhinitis, asthma, or rhinitis and asthma were significantly increased. The level of TSLP in serum was changed with statistical difference in patients with asthma, and obviously increased in both sIgE positive patients with asthma and sIgE positive patients with rhinitis, among which, the serum levels of IL-31, IL-33, and TSLP were the highest in both sIgE positive patients with rhinitis caused by mites and sIgE positive patients with rhinitis caused by mugwort. IL-31, IL-33, and TSLP might be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma and rhinitis. Besides, both mites and mugwort were the major allergens in the induction of asthma and rhinitis.