Evaluation of Serum IL-41 Level in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis

June 10, 2026 updated by: Sara Farrag Ahmed Mohamed, Assiut University

Evaluation of Serum IL-41 Level in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis and Their Association With Inflammatory Markers and Disease Activity

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are chronic inflammatory diseases within the spectrum of spondyloarthritis, characterized by immune-mediated inflammation and progressive functional impairment. Meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) is a novel adipomyokine with potential immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its role in spondyloarthritis remains incompletely understood. This study aims to evaluate serum Metrnl levels in patients with PsA and AS compared with healthy controls and to investigate their association with disease activity, inflammatory markers, and clinical manifestations. The findings may provide insights into the potential role of Metrnl as a biomarker of disease activity and inflammation in spondyloarthritis.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are chronic inflammatory disorders within the spectrum of spondyloarthritis, characterized by immune-mediated involvement of the axial skeleton, peripheral joints, and entheses. Despite advances in understanding their pathogenesis, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying disease activity and progression remain incompletely defined, highlighting the need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Cytokines play a central role in the pathophysiology of spondyloarthritis by regulating inflammatory pathways and immune responses. Recently, attention has shifted toward newly identified cytokine-like proteins with immunometabolic functions, including meteorin-like protein (Metrnl), also referred to as interleukin-41. Metrnl is an adipomyokine expressed in various tissues, including skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and is involved in immune regulation and inflammatory processes.

Emerging evidence suggests that Metrnl exerts dual immunomodulatory effects, contributing to both pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways depending on the disease context. It has been shown to influence macrophage activation and cytokine production, thereby playing a role in immune homeostasis (5,6). In addition, recent studies have demonstrated a potential association between circulating Metrnl levels and disease activity in inflammatory conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis.

However, data regarding the role of Metrnl in psoriatic arthritis are scarce, and comparative studies between AS and PsA are lacking. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate serum Metrnl levels in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis and to investigate their association with disease activity and inflammatory markers.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Sara Farrag lecturer of rheumatology and rehabilitation, lecturer
  • Phone Number: +01097767735
  • Email: sara_farrag@aun.edu.eg

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

AS diagnosed according to the modified New York criteria, while PsA diagnosed based on the CASPAR criteria,

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), in addition to age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

AS diagnosed according to the modified New York criteria, while PsA was diagnosed based on the CASPAR criteria.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients under the age of 18 years, patients with other autoimmune diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney or liver disease, active infection, or malignancy were excluded to avoid confounding factors affecting inflammatory markers.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
psoriatic arthritis patients
Diagnostic test: IL 41
Serum levels of meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) will be measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Ankylosing spondylitis Patients
AS diagnosed according to the modified New York criteria
Diagnostic test: IL 41
Serum levels of meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) will be measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.
control
apparentely healthy controls
Diagnostic test: IL 41
Serum levels of meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) will be measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
• Serum IL41 differences among AS, PsA, and controls
Time Frame: 1month
1month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Assiut University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 10, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SFA AS-Psa

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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