ArticleJournal of cellular and molecular medicine2020
IL-38: A novel cytokine in systemic lupus erythematosus pathogenesis.
Article in Journal of cellular and molecular medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Thyroid dysfunction risk in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review of case-control studies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- Immunobiological Properties and Clinical Applications of Interleukin-38 for Immune-Mediated Disorders: A Systematic Review Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Pooled it
- IL-37 and IL-38 in sepsis: immune-metabolic rheostats in a dynamic inflammatory continuum.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Elevated serum interleukin-38 levels in polymyositis and dermatomyositis: diagnostic implications and correlations with inflammatory markers.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Butyrophilin 3A1 Contributes to Inflammation and Induces a Lupus-Like Disease by Inhibiting the IL-38-Ferroptosis Axis.MedComm · 2025Article
- The emerging role of IL-38 in diseases: A comprehensive review.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2023Review
- Evaluation of interleukins 37 and 38 and vitamin D status in the serum of women with Graves' disease.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2022Article
- Dysregulation of immunity in COVID-19 and SLE.Inflammopharmacology · 2022Review
- Interleukin 38 alleviates aortic valve calcification by inhibition of NLRP3.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022Article
- Clinical relevance and therapeutic potential of IL-38 in immune and non-immune-related disordersEuropean cytokine network · 2022Review
- An overview of the biological and multifunctional roles of IL-38 in different infectious diseases and COVID-19.Immunologic research · 2022Review
- GDF-15: A Potential Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Low serum interleukin-38 levels in patients with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2022Article
- Therapeutic Effect of IL-38 on Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis: Reprogrammed Immune Cell Landscape and Reduced Th17 Cell Pathogenicity.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2021Article
- Neutralization of interleukin-38 exacerbates coxsackievirus B3-induced acute myocarditis in mice.Virology journal · 2021Article
- Cytokines as Biomarkers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Value for Diagnosis and Drug Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Lack of Association between Serum Interleukin-23 and Interleukin-27 Levels and Disease Activity in Patients with Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Compartmentalization of interleukin 36 subfamily according to inducible and constitutive expression in the kidneys of a murine autoimmune nephritis model.Cell and tissue research · 2021Article
- The Pathological Mechanism and Potential Application of IL-38 in Autoimmune Diseases.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
- IL-38: A novel cytokine in systemic lupus erythematosus pathogenesis.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
IL-38 is a newly identified cytokine that belongs to the IL-1 family. In our previous study, we found elevated plasma levels of IL-38 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the clear relationship of IL-38 expression in plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and clinical and laboratory features needs elucidation. Additionally, we evaluated the possible role of IL-38 in regulating production of inflammatory cytokines in PBMCs in vitro. A pristane-induced murine lupus model was used to further demonstrate the effects of IL-38 on cytokines in vivo and discuss the significance of IL-38 in lupus development. The results showed that mRNA expression of IL-38 in PBMCs of patients with SLE was elevated compared with volunteers, and expression of IL-38 in both plasma and PBMCs was strongly related to clinical features, such as haematuria and proteinuria, and correlated with a SLEDAI score. Plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-23 were elevated in patients with SLE and were related to plasma levels of IL-38. In vitro, PBMCs of patients with SLE stimulated with IL-38 showed a decreased expression of the four inflammatory cytokines compared with PBMCs of patients without treatment. Interestingly, IL-38 administration in lupus mice significantly reduced the development of lupus, such as reduced proteinuria, improved histological examinations of the kidneys and down-regulated inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, IL-38 may suppress synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and therefore regulate lupus pathogenesis.
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