Background Genetic polymorphisms in the endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase gene ERAP2 has been attributed with etiopathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Here we assessed association single nucleotide (SNPs) AS predisposition Iranian patients and determined their effect on inflammatory state patients. Methods For genotyping rs2548538, rs2287988, rs17408150 SNPs using a real-time allelic...

OBJECTIVE Salvia miltiorrhiza has long been used to treat systemic sclerosis. Tanshinone IIA, one of the phytochemicals derived from the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza, exhibits multiple biological activities. The present study aimed to investigate whether tanshinone IIA has an effect on the interleukin-17A-induced functional activation of systemic sclerosis patient-derived dermal vascular smooth...

OBJECTIVE Although inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) provide benefit for the management of neovascular retinopathies, their use is limited to end-stage disease and some eyes are resistant. We hypothesized that retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor γ (RORγ) and its downstream effector, interleukin (IL)-17A, upregulate VEGF and hence are important treatment targets f...

Cigarette smoke (CS) is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is a pivotal cytokine that regulates lung immunity and inflammation. The aim of the present study was to investigate how IL-17A regulates CS-induced lung inflammation in vivo. IL-17A knockout (KO) mice and neutralization of IL-17A in wild-type (WT) mice reduced macrophage and neutro...

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an autoimmune chronic liver disease with worldwide increasing morbidity. However, the etiology of PBC is still unclear. Recently, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, were proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of PBC. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to clarify the roles of IL-17A and/or...

Although acupuncture analgesia has been reported in clinical trials, its mechanisms have been unclear. It was recently reported that spinal astrocytes-produced interleukin-17A (IL-17A) facilitates inflammatory pain. Hypothesizing that electroacupuncture (EA) would suppress inflammation-enhanced IL-17A synthesis to inhibit pain, we induced hyperalgesia, as measured by decreased paw withdrawal la...