Level of interleukine-10 and -22 in the blood and tissues of patients with medullary and papillary thyroid carcinomas
Abstract
Background. Tumor-immune interactions critically shape thyroid cancer progression. Among immunoregulatory cytokines, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-22 exert paradoxical functions by suppressing anti-tumor immunity while promoting tumor cell survival and metastasis (Mts). Yet the tissue-systemic distribution and metastatic relevance of IL-10 and IL-22 remain insufficiently defined. The aim of the study was to comparatively evaluate IL-10 and IL-22 levels in conditionally normal (CN) thyroid tissue, primary medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tissues, as well as in peripheral blood plasma of patients with metastatic and non-metastatic disease. Materials and methods. Postoperative tumor, CN thyroid tissue, metastatic lesions, and plasma samples were obtained from surgically treated patients. IL-10 and IL-22 concentrations were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical comparisons were performed using parametric and nonparametric tests. Results. IL-10 levels were significantly elevated in MTC and Mts tissues compared to corresponding CN thyroid samples. In patients with metastatic PTC, IL-10 concentrations both in tissues and plasma were significantly higher than in non-metastatic PTC samples. IL-22 concentrations in the non-metastatic MTC exceeded those of adjacent CN tissue by almost 2-fold. The highest IL-22 concentrations were detected in metastatic lymph node lesions of MTC, indicating progressive upregulation along the primary tumor-Mts axis. Conclusions. Thus, level of IL-10 in plasma of patients with PTC can be preoperative marker predicting Mts formation. The level of IL-22 in the postoperative tissue of patients with PTC can be marker predicting Mts formation in a future, and the level of IL-22 in plasma of patients with MTC can be used as preoperative marker predicting Mts formation. These findings implicate as a potential biomarker for stratifying metastatic risk in thyroid carcinomas.