Oxford: neutralizing IL-10 antibodies found in 3.5% of about 4,900 IBD patients, none in controls

Researchers at the University of Oxford found neutralizing antibodies against the cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) in 3.5% of about 4,900 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to lomazoma.com, which reports on a study in the New England Journal of Medicine lomazoma.comlomazoma.comlomazoma.comOpen source ↗. In a comparison group of about 1,000 healthy controls, none of the participants had these antibodies.

IL-10 and the antibody finding

Under physiological conditions, IL-10 has a dampening role in the immune system: it inhibits proinflammatory cells. If the body forms neutralizing antibodies against this endogenous messenger, its inhibitory protective function is interrupted. According to the report, such a blockade can allow inflammatory reactions in the intestinal mucosa to progress unchecked and favor a chronic course of the disease.

Link to the HLA-DRB1*01:03 variant

The Oxford scientists also observed a close association with a known genetic risk marker. In carriers of the HLA-DRB1*01:03 gene variant, IL-10 antibodies were markedly more common. This variant has been known as a risk factor for IBD for about 30 years, but the underlying mechanism was incompletely understood. Senior author Prof. Holm Uhlig said the study provides clear evidence of a direct connection between the known genetic variant and autoimmunity against IL-10, closing a long-standing gap in research on causes.

The team led by Dr. Nima Gharahdaghi and Prof. Holm Uhlig sees potential in the findings for future diagnostics. In their view, a blood test could be developed that reliably detects neutralizing antibodies lomazoma.comlomazoma.comlomazoma.comOpen source ↗. Such a test could offer new options for early and differentiated diagnosis of IBD and could form the basis for individual adjustment of therapy. Because drug treatments for bowel diseases work differently in different patients, determining antibody status could allow treatment regimens to be matched more closely to the individual biological mechanisms of those affected. The material describes no finished test: this is a proposal by the authors.