Li RC, et al. - In 75 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 58 healthy controls, researchers evaluated IL-24 levels and their correlation with clinical manifestations. For the diagnostic ability of the inflammatory cytokine, the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used. According to results, serum IL-24 levels in patients with SLE were significantly higher than in healthy controls. Nephritis SLE patients had higher levels of IL-24 than nephritis-free patients. Patients with active SLE showed higher IL-24 expression compared to patients with less active disease. In patients with SLE, the mRNA levels of IL-24 were much higher. Correlation analysis exhibited a significant link between serum IL-24 levels and SLE disease activity index. Furthermore, ROC analysis may suggest good IL-24 serum capability to differentiate SLE. Overall, the investigators concluded that the inflammatory cytokine was correlated with SLE disease activity and could be involved in the pathogenesis of this disease.