Effects of Low-Dose and Long-Term Treatment with Erythromycin on Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-23 in Peripheral Blood and Induced Sputum in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Figure 3

The effects of erythromycin treatment on the concentrations (pg/mL) of IL-17 and IL-23 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients at baseline and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment. Erythromycin significantly decreased the levels of IL-17 in serum after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment in group A (all values < .001) and after 3 and 6 months in group B (all values < .001) compared to the placebo-treated group. A similar change in IL-23 in serum was observed after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment in group A (all values < .05) and after 3 and 6 months in group B ( and , resp.) compared to the placebo-treated group. After 9 and 12 months (after erythromycin was discontinued) in group B, both IL-17 ( and , resp.) and IL-23 ( and , resp.) in serum showed no differences compared to the placebo-treated group.

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