Serum IL–27 as a potential biomarker for pain in late–stage hip osteoarthritis

抄録

Cytokines play important roles not only in immune, but also in pain control systems. Since mice lacking interleukin (IL)–27 displayed pain hypersensitivities, we investigated the role of IL–27 in pain due to hip osteoarthritis in this clinical study. Twenty–one female patients with hip osteoarthritis (a mean age of 65.4 years) were enrolled. The levels of serum IL–27 at admission for surgery were evaluated and compared with the score of painDETECT (PD) questionnaire based on self–assessment of neuropathic pain, as well as the pain numeric rating scale (NRS) completed by all patients. The serum IL–27 levels significantly correlated with the NRS pain scores (R=–0.467, P=0.033), but not with the PD scores. These results indicate that serum IL–27 may control pain in osteoarthritis. Since serum IL–27 levels were not significantly affected by the type of pain, nociceptive or neuropathic, serum IL–27 may be a potential biomarker for chronic pain due to locomotor disorders.