[Clinical detection and significance of plasma IL-37 in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the level of plasma interleukin 37 (IL-37) and explore the clinical significance of IL-37 in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (ATB). METHODS: ELISA was used to detect the level of plasma IL-37 from 30 patients with ATB, 15 patients who had been treated for ATB, and 21 healthy volunteers as controls. RESULTS: The level of plasma IL-37 in patients with ATB was significantly higher than that in healthy controls. The monitoring on the 15 patients showed that plasma IL-37 was reduced after treatment for ATB. The level of plasma IL-37 in patients with anti-Mycobecterium tuberculosis antibody positive or sputum smear positive were higher than that in patients with anti-Mycobecterium tuberculosis antibody negative or sputum smear negative for Mycobecterium tuberculosis, and the level was negatively correlated with the number of white blood cells in peripheral blood. CONCLUSION: The patients with ATB present with significantly increased level of plasma IL-37, which might be an indicator of curative effect in ATB.