The Clinical Relevance of Serum Interleukin-21 in Grading Acne Vulgaris

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Ayu Kusuma Dewi
Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
Muhammad Eko Irawanto
Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
Arie Kusumawardani
Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
Nugrohoaji Dharmawan
Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
Nurrachmat Mulianto
Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia

Acne vulgaris (AV) is an inflammatory skin disorder with multifactorial pathogenesis involving genetics, hormones, and immune dysregulation. Interleukin-21 (IL-21), a pleiotropic cytokine mainly secreted by T follicular helper and Th17 cells, has been implicated in various inflammatory skin diseases. However, its role in AV remains unclear. This cross-sectional study included 46 patients with AV, classified into mild (n=19), moderate (n=16), and severe (n=11) groups. Serum IL-21 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Baseline characteristics were compared across groups, and interobserver reliability of AV severity grading was evaluated using Cohen’s kappa test. One-way ANOVA was applied to assess differences in IL-21 levels among severity groups, with a significance level set at p<0.05. The mean serum IL-21 level was highest in the severe AV group (303.53 pg/mL), followed by the moderate (223.7 pg/mL) and mild (213.2 pg/mL) groups. Although there was a trend toward increasing IL-21 levels with higher AV severity, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference among the three groups (p=0.130). Serum IL-21 levels were elevated in AV patients compared with previously reported healthy controls but did not differ significantly across severity levels. These findings suggest that IL-21 may play a role in the pathophysiology of AV, though it is not a reliable marker of clinical severity. Further case-control and tissue-based studies are needed to clarify its role.


Keywords: Interleukin-21, Severity, Acne vulgaris