T-helper 17 (Th17) cells are a subset of CD4⁺ helper T cells that produce interleukin 17 (IL-17) and play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Few studies have been conducted to determine the role of Th17 cells in the tumorigenesis and development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); however, its role is still unclear. In this study, the percentage of circulating Th17 cells and serum levels of IL-17A and IL-23 were analyzed using flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively, in 40 PDAC patients, 30 chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients and 30 healthy controls (HC). In addition, the mRNA expression levels of IL-17A, STAT3 and RORγt in tissue samples were quantified by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the percentage of circulating Th17 cells and the concentrations of serum IL-17A and IL-23 were significantly increased in PDAC patients as compared to CP and HC (P < 0.001). In addition, the higher level of IL-17A was significantly correlated with the poor overall survival of the PDAC patients. Furthermore, the frequencies of Th17 cells and IL-17A were significantly higher in stage III+IV PDAC patients versus stage I+II. A significant increase in IL-17A, STAT3 and RORγT mRNA was observed in patients with PDAC. Taken together, these findings suggest that the increased circulating Th17 cells and serum IL-17A may be involved in the development and metastasis of PDAC, and thus represent potential targets for the treatment of PDAC.

辅助 T 17 (Th17) 细胞是 CD4 ⁺辅助 T 细胞的一个子集，可产生白细胞介素 17 (IL-17)，在炎症和自身免疫性疾病的发病机制中发挥至关重要的作用。很少有研究确定 Th17 细胞在胰腺导管腺癌 (PDAC) 肿瘤发生和发展中的作用；然而，其作用仍不清楚。在这项研究中，分别使用流式细胞术和 ELISA 分析了 40 名 PDAC 患者、30 名慢性胰腺炎 (CP) 患者和 30 名健康对照 (HC) 的循环 Th17 细胞百分比以及血清 IL-17A 和 IL-23 水平。 。此外，通过 qRT-PCR 定量组织样本中 IL-17A、STAT3 和 RORγt 的 mRNA 表达水平。结果显示，与 CP 和 HC 患者相比，PDAC 患者循环 Th17 细胞百分比以及血清 IL-17A 和 IL-23 浓度显着升高（P < 0.001）。此外，较高水平的IL-17A与PDAC患者较差的总生存率显着相关。此外，III+IV期PDAC患者中Th17细胞和IL-17A的频率显着高于I+II期患者。在 PDAC 患者中观察到 IL-17A、STAT3 和 RORγT mRNA 显着增加。综上所述，这些发现表明循环 Th17 细胞和血清 IL-17A 的增加可能参与 PDAC 的发生和转移，因此代表了 PDAC 治疗的潜在靶点。