Detection of serum MCP-1 and TGF-β1 in polymyositis/dermatomyositis patients and its significance

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to detect serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MPC-1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) patients complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD), to reveal the significance of the changes in these levels in the pathogenesis of PM/DM complicated with ILD. METHODS: Serum MCP-1 and TGF-β1 levels in PM/DM patients complicated with ILD, patients with pulmonary infections and normal controls (n = 30, each) were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the correlation between PM/DM complicated with ILD and serum MCP-1 and TGF-β1 levels was analyzed. RESULTS: Serum MCP-1 and TGF-β1 levels were both higher in PM/DM patients complicated with ILD compared with patients with pulmonary infections and normal controls. CONCLUSION: Serum MCP-1 and TGF-β1 levels increased in PM/DM patients, and were closely correlated to the complication of ILD. This finding can be used for distinguishing between pulmonary infections and ILD, providing a new diagnostic method for the early prediction of DM/PM complicated with ILD.