ArticleSpringerPlus2016
Interleukin-21 plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and severity of type I autoimmune hepatitis.
Article in SpringerPlus, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Revealing the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis and research progress in drug discovery from hepatic immune cells and intercellular communication signaling mechanisms.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- The impact of T cells on immune-related liver diseases: an overview.Inflammation and regeneration · 2025Review
- CD4+ T-cell subsets in autoimmune hepatitis: A review.Hepatology communications · 2023Review
- Autoimmune hepatitis complicated by adult-onset Still's disease during treatment with tocilizumab: A case report from acute onset to recurrence.Clinical case reports · 2023Article
- HERV1-env Induces Unfolded Protein Response Activation in Autoimmune Liver Disease: A Potential Mechanism for Regulatory T Cell Dysfunction.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2023Article
- B cells in autoimmune hepatitis: bystanders or central players?Seminars in immunopathology · 2022Review
- B-cell activating factor and IL-21 levels predict treatment response in autoimmune hepatitis.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2022Article
- Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Hepatitis-Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- The Role of B Cells and B Cell Therapies in Immune-Mediated Liver Diseases.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
- Antigen presentation, autoantibody production, and therapeutic targets in autoimmune liver disease.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2021Review
- Impact of Antigen Presentation Mechanisms on Immune Response in Autoimmune Hepatitis.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Review
- Potential anti-EBV effects associated with elevated interleukin-21 levels: a case report.BMC infectious diseases · 2020Article
- The Function of T Follicular Helper Cells in the Autoimmune Liver Diseases.Journal of immunology research · 2020Review
- Article
- The Contribution of B Cells in Autoimmune Liver Diseases.Seminars in liver disease · 2019Review
- Interleukin-33/ST2-Mediated Inflammation Plays a Critical Role in the Pathogenesis and Severity of Type I Autoimmune Hepatitis.Hepatology communications · 2019Article
- T Follicular Helper Cells in Autoimmune Disorders.Frontiers in immunology · 2018Review
- [Research advances in pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2017Review
- PD-1 immunobiology in autoimmune hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma.Seminars in oncology · 2017Review
- Diminished plasma levels of common γ-chain cytokines in pulmonary tuberculosis and reversal following treatment.PloS one · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsRecently, the number of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells expressing interleukin (IL)-21 was found to increase in peripheral blood of human and murine models of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). IL-21, the most recently discovered member of the type-I cytokine family, exerts various effects on the immune system, including B cell activation, plasma cell differentiation, and immunoglobulin production. We aimed to assess the relationship of serum IL-21 levels in patients with type I AIH with clinical and laboratory parameters and histology.
methodsNinety-two Japanese patients with liver disease (22 AIH, 20 primary biliary cholangitis, 19 drug-induced liver injury, 8 acute hepatitis B, 8 chronic hepatitis C, 10 non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, 5 viral hepatitis) and 10 healthy volunteers were recruited. Serum IL-21 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Real-time polymerase chain reaction measured mRNA levels of Bcl-6, IL-21, and CXCR5 (Tfh-related factors) in peripheral mononuclear cells.
resultsMean age at diagnosis of AIH was 58.6 years, male-to-female ratio was 4:18, 18.2 % of participants had cirrhosis, and 22.7 % had severe disease. IL-21 levels were significantly increased in the serum of patients with AIH compared to those with other liver diseases and controls (p < 0.0001). Particularly, serum IL-21 levels were significantly increased in severe AIH cases compared to non-severe cases (p < 0.05). Serum IL-21 levels correlated positively with total serum bilirubin levels (r = 0.46, p < 0.05), grading of necroinflammatory activity (r = 0.68, p < 0.005) and negatively with serum albumin levels in patients with AIH (r = -0.49, p < 0.05). In patients with biochemical remission of AIH, serum IL-21 levels remained elevated and correlated positively with serum IgG levels (r = 0.84, p < 0.01). Expression of Tfh-related factors, such as Bcl-6 and IL-21, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with AIH was significantly higher than that in healthy volunteers.
conclusionsIL-21 may play an important role in the pathogenesis and severity of AIH, and may present a promising target for AIH therapy.
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