Clinical significance of interleukin-22 in multiple myeloma

Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a cytokine participating in many aspects of inflammation. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease of plasma cells with characteristic immune deregulation. We estimated serum levels of IL-22 in MM patients, both in activity and remission, in order to apprehend its possible participation in MM biology.

We measured serum levels of IL-22 along with beta-2 microglobulin (B2M), paraprotein, and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), as well as degree of bone marrow infiltration, in 51 patients with active MM and in 22 of them in remission.

We found that IL-22 was higher in active MM patients, compared to both controls and patients in remission, and also in patients in remission compared to controls. Moreover, IL-22 was increasing in parallel with the disease stage and also correlated with B2M, IL1-beta, and degree of infiltration.

We suggest that the elevated levels of IL-22 in active MM patients, in parallel with disease activity, and in positive correlation with IL-1beta, may represent the inflammatory element of the disease. This increased occurrence of IL-22 may enhance myeloma proliferation and growth, and moreover, may participate in the mechanisms of immune deregulation.