INCREASED LEVELS OF THE SOLUBLE ONCOSTATIN M RECEPTOR (sOSMR) AND GLYCOPROTEIN 130 (sgp130) IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS PATIENTS AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH CLINICAL PARAMETERS

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of the present study was to evaluate the serum levels of soluble oncostatin M (OSM), OSM receptor (sOSMR) and glycoprotein130 (sgp130) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and the possible associations and correlations with clinical parameters. Methods Serum levels of OSM, sOSMR and sgp130 were evaluated by ELISA in eighty-four SSc patients and eighty-four healthy volunteers. Results SSc patients had significantly elevated levels of sOSMR and sgp130 when compared with healthy individuals (p  Conclusion Serum levels of sOSMR and sgp130 are elevated in patients with systemic sclerosis. In addition, associations were observed with important clinical manifestations, suggesting that sOSMR is a candidate biomarker of this disease. More studies are needed to clarify the functions of IL-6 family cytokines in systemic sclerosis.