A molecule called ST2 may indicate disease severity and be a potential therapeutic target in patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM), according to an abstract published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
“ST2 levels were significantly elevated in SM patients compared to healthy controls, especially in advanced SM patients,” the authors wrote.
ST2, also known as interleukin 1 receptor-like 1, is a protein that binds with the alarmin interleukin-33 (IL-33), promoting inflammation and other immune responses. Previous research has suggested that alarmins and their receptors play a role in mast cell biology. Therefore, the authors sought to determine their role as possible biomarkers in SM.
The study included 72 individuals with SM and 20 healthy controls. The researchers measured levels of ST2, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in blood samples from each patient. In patients with SM, they also measured tryptase levels and KIT D816V variant allele frequency, two known disease biomarkers with therapeutic implications.
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Of the three molecules evaluated, only ST2 emerged as a potential disease biomarker. Levels of ST2 also correlated with levels of tryptase and frequency of the KIT D816V mutation. This trend was not statistically significant, though.
Patients who did not report previous episodes of anaphylaxis had greater ST2 levels than those who did. In addition, individuals with skeletal symptoms had elevated ST2 levels compared with those who did not report bone manifestations.
Levels of IL-33 and TSLP, on the other hand, were similar between patients and controls. Neither correlated with tryptase levels or KIT D816V mutation frequency.
These preliminary findings highlight the potential of ST2 as a novel biomarker of SM, with possible relevance for diagnosis and treatment. Future research is needed to determine the precise role of ST2 in the pathophysiology of the disease.
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