Association between Acne and Serum Pro-inflammatory Cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 and RANTES) in Mustard Gas-Exposed Patients: Sardasht-Iran Cohort Study

Background Acne vulgaris is a very common chronic inflammatory disorder, yet its pathogenesis is not clearly understood. As part of the SICS, this study was conducted to evaluate the association between the incidence of acne vulgaris in sulfur mustard-exposed subjects (20 years after the exposure) and serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 and RANTES) in an attempt to better understand the pathogenesis of long-term skin disorders of these individuals. Methods Serum concentrations of cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12 and RANTES) were measured using sandwich ELISA technique. Results The median of serum levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and RANTES were significantly higher in the exposed patients with acne than those without acne (P = 0.05, 0.03 and 0.001 respectively). There was no significant difference in serum levels of IL-1α, IL-1Ra and IL-6 between the exposed subgroups. Conclusion We found a positive association between serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, IL-12 and RANTES) and acne among sulfur mustard-exposed population. Keywords: