Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42383538›Full record

ArticleMuscle & nerve2026

Cytokine Profiles in Myasthenia Gravis Subgroups and the Lack of Any Effect of Immunosuppression.

Merve Cebi, Hacer Durmus, Arman Çakar, Mehmet Güven Günver, Yesim Parman, Feza Deymeer, Güher Saruhan-Direskeneli

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In one paragraph

Article in Muscle & nerve, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Merve CebiDepartment of Physiology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Hacer DurmusDepartment of Neurology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6426-676X
Arman ÇakarDepartment of Neurology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8129-4172
Mehmet Güven GünverDepartment of Biostatistics, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4628-8391
Yesim ParmanDepartment of Neurology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Feza DeymeerDepartment of Neurology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Güher Saruhan-DireskeneliDepartment of Physiology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Funding

Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu (TUBITAK) 116S317
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION/

aimsMyasthenia gravis (MG) is a clinically and immunologically heterogeneous autoimmune disease and there is little known about the differential effects of cytokines in disease subgroups. This study aimed to compare serum cytokine profiles across distinct MG subgroups, including early-onset MG (EOMG), late-onset MG (LOMG), muscle-specific kinase antibody-positive MG (MuSK-MG), thymoma-associated MG (TAMG), and healthy controls (HC) in order to distinguish and determine relatively specific targets for the disease subgroups.

methodsSerum samples from 22 EOMG, 23 LOMG, 17 MuSK-MG, 25 TAMG patients, and 25 HC were analyzed for a panel of cytokines involved in T and B cell interactions using multiplex bead-based immunoassays and ELISA. Additionally, paired serum samples of the same patients before and after immunosuppressive therapy were evaluated in a subset of patients.

resultsIL-17A, IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-21, and IL-9 were significantly elevated in EOMG and MuSK-MG groups, whereas IL-17F, IL-37, IL-2, TNF-α, and IL-13 were higher in EOMG only compared with HC. Increased levels of IL-6 in MuSK-MG and IL-37 in EOMG were found in these subtypes. In contrast, LOMG and TAMG patients showed limited cytokine alterations, with significant increases only in IL-21 in LOMG and IL-17A in TAMG. Immunosuppressive therapy did not significantly alter serum cytokine concentrations. DISCUSSION: The findings reveal heterogeneous cytokine signatures among diverse MG subgroups, separating EOMG and MuSK-MG from TAMG and LOMG with some similarities and highlighting the impact of age and thymoma presence on immune responses. This assessment of disease subgroups has provided a broader understanding of the cytokines in MG.

Indexed as

CytokinesImmunosuppression TherapyMyasthenia GravisAdolescentAdultAgedFemaleHumansImmunosuppressive AgentsMaleMiddle AgedReceptor Protein-Tyrosine KinasesReceptors, CholinergicThymomaYoung AdultCytokinesImmunosuppressive AgentsMUSK protein, humanReceptor Protein-Tyrosine KinasesReceptors, Cholinergiccytokinesimmunosuppressive treatmentmyasthenia gravis

Identifiers

PMID42383538
PMCPMC13599451

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.