Increased serum levels of interleukin (IL)-5, IL-6 and IL-8 in bullous pemphigoid.

Some cytokines have been suggested to take part in the blister formation in bullous pemphigoid (BP). However, the roles of the cytokines are only partly understood. To elucidate the involvement of cytokines in the immunological mechanisms in BP, we investigated the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-13, soluble IL-2 receptor and soluble CD23 in patients with BP, and the correlation between cytokine levels and other clinical and laboratory data. Serum levels of these cytokines and soluble receptors were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 19 patients with BP and in 16 normal control subjects. Serum levels of IL-5 (P < 0.0001), IL-6 (P < 0.01) and IL-8 (P < 0.05) were significantly higher in BP patients than in the control subjects. Other cytokines and soluble receptor levels were not significantly different. Serum levels of IL-6 (P < 0.05) and IL-8 (P < 0.05) were significantly decreased after treatment when skin lesions disappeared. These results suggest that serum levels of IL-6 and IL-8 could be indicators of disease activity of BP.