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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 19 and interleukin 23 in patients with post lyme disease syndrome and neurological involvement
Yaroslavl State Medical University, Yaroslavl, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Natalia Sergeevna Baranova
Revolutsionnaya str., 5, Yaroslavl, 150000, Russia; ur.liam@sn_avonarab
Funding: the work was supported by the Ministry of Social Communications and Scientific and Technological Development of the Yaroslavl Region (grant agreement No. 26NP/2024 of December 25, 2024).
Author contribution: Baranova NS, Ostapenko YaS, Baranov AA, Spirin NN — study planning and design; Ostapenko YaS, Ovsyanikova LA, Rechkina OP, Zolotavkina SS, Vdovenko OV, Semechkin NV — data collection and research; Baranova NS, Ostapenko YaS, Baranov AA — data analysis; Baranova NS, Ostapenko YaS, Baranov AA — article authoring.
Compliance with ethical standards: the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Yaroslavl State Medical University (Minutes No. 63 of September 14, 2023). All patients signed a voluntary informed consent.
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a naturally occurring transmissible disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Some patients develop LB after effective treatment of the acute stage of the disease with antibiotics, which may suggest involvement of chemokines and cytokines in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to assess serum levels of chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 19 (CCL19) and interleukin-23 (IL-23) in patients with post-Lyme syndrome (PLS) and neurological involvement, and to examine their association with clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters. We examined 70 individuals (26 [37.1%] male and 44 [62.9%] female) with confirmed LB who presented with neurological symptoms persisting or recurring within 6 months following the recommended antibiotic treatment. The serum levels of CCL19 and IL-23 were determined using a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay; CCL19 was high in 12 (17.1%) participants, and IL-23 in 10 (14.3%). Significant positive correlations were established between the concentrations of CCL19 and IL-23 (r = 0.65, p < 0.0001) and their hyperproduction (r = 0.79, p < 0.0001). The likelihood of developing Lyme disease after treatment increased significantly in association with overproduction of CCL19 and, especially, IL-23: odds ratio — 5.00; 95% CI: 1.00–24.84, p = 0.04, and 22.42; 95% CI: 1.25–399.93, p = 0.03, respectively. No correlation was found between the concentration of CCL19, IL-23, and the levels CRP, IgM and IgG antibodies to B. burgdorferi, ass well as IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. A subject matter being discussed in the paper is how CCL19, IL-23 and other mechanisms participate in post-treatment pathogenesis of Lyme disease with neurological damage.
Keywords: cytokines, nervous system, post-Lyme syndrome, CCL19, interleukin 23