Cytokines as Potential Biomarkers of Disease Clinical Course in Muscular Dystrophies

Luisa Politano,

Published on: 2021-05-31

Abstract

Background: Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are rare neuromuscular disorders characterized by phenotypic variability and frequent cardiac involvement. MDs genotype-phenotype correlations are challenging due to the clinical variability and disease rarity and clinical, and nonclinical factors predicting myopathy progression and heart involvement are substantially lacking.
Aim: Finding serum biomarkers identifying myopathy and early cardiomyopathy.
Methods: Serum levels of 17 pro-and anti-inflammatory molecules, including cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, were quantified in 17 MDs patients with Emery Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (EDMD1), Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD), Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1), and in 22 age-matched healthy individuals.
Results: IL-17, GM-CSF and MCP-1 on one side and IL-13 and MIP-1a on the other side, discriminated among MDs patients, those with and without cardiac involvement compared with healthy subjects.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that monitoring of specific cytokines may be useful for early identification of cardiomyopathy in MD allowing earlier appropriate treatments.

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