Interleukin (IL)-37 has an important role in
autoimmune diseases by suppressing immunity and
inflammation; however, the role of IL-37 in
immune thrombocytopenia (
ITP) has remained largely elusive. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of IL-37 and its potential role in the pathogenesis of
ITP. The plasma levels and expression of IL-37 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with active
ITP,
ITP patients in remission and healthy controls were measured by ELISA and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, respectively. The levels of IL-37 in patients with
ITP treated with and without
glucocorticoids were also determined by ELISA. Specific anti-
platelet glycoprotein (
GP)IIb/IIIa and/or GPIb/IX
autoantibodies were assayed by modified
monoclonal antibody-specific immobilization of platelet
antigens. The mean value of plasma IL-37 in
ITP patients was slightly higher than that in healthy controls, but this was not statistically significant. There was no correlation between IL-37 and anti-platelet
autoantibodies, and no significant difference in the IL-37 concentration was identified between patients treated with and without
glucocorticoids. In addition, the correlation between IL-37 and the platelet count was analyzed, with no statistical significance observed. It was therefore concluded that IL-37 may not have a pivotal role in the development of
ITP. However, the lack of significant differences may be due to the limited number of patients in different groups. A larger number of
ITP patients should be enrolled in the future work and achieve more accurate results.