Elevated levels of interleukin-23 in sera of patients with pemphigus vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Pemphigus vulgaris, a chronic mucocutaneous disease, is the most prevalent type of pemphigus which manifests with development of bullae and erosions on skin and mucosal membranes. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential role of IL-23 in pemphigus vulgaris. METHODS: In this study, 30 patients with pemphigus vulgaris and 30 healthy individuals were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Measurement of IL-23 serum levels in blood samples was conducted by ELISA. Data was analyzed using Student's t-test for comparison of IL-23 levels between the two groups. RESULTS: Mean serum levels of IL-23 in patients with pemphigus and healthy controls were 25.1 ± 4.2 and 17.9 ± 4.7 pg/ml, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings of this study, serum levels of IL-23 were higher in patients with pemphigus in comparison to healthy individuals with no clinical significance.