Application value of detecting interleukin-23 in early diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis

Objective To detect the interleukin-23(IL-23) level of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) in the patients with tuberculous meningitis before and after therapy,and to investigate its possible role in tuberculous meningitis pathogenesis and clinical significanceMethods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the level of IL-23 in CSF of 40 cases of tuberculous meningitis,and 37 cases of virus meningitis.Results The IL-23 level of CSF in tuberculous meningitis was obviously increased compared with that in virus meningitis(P0.01).Moreover,the IL-23 level was significant decreased in CSF of tuberculous meningitis after treating with anti-tuberculosis for 1 week(P0.01),but still higher than that in virus meningitis(P0.05).Conclusion It is suggested that the IL-23 level is helpful to understand the level of disease activity,determine the condition and prognosis,and monitor the treatment efficacy.