BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Circulating IL-17A Accumulation Reflects Effective Target Blockade with Secukinumab in Spondyloarthritis
Provisionally accepted
Julio Manuel Martínez-Moreno1,2Adrián Llamas-Urbano1,2Laura Romero-Zurita1,2Yas Hanaee1,2
Alejandro Escudero-Contreras1Peter Blake2Keith Rawson2
Eduardo Collantes-Estevez1
Nuria Barbarroja1,2
Clementina López-Medina1,2
Carlos Pérez-Sánchez1,2,3*- 1Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba (IMIBIC), Cordova, Spain
- 2Cobiomic Bioscience SL, EBT UCO/IMIBIC, Cordoba, Spain, Córdoba, Spain
- 3Department of Cell Biology, Immunology and Physiology, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, University of Córdoba, ceiA3, Córdoba, Spain., Cordoba, Spain
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Objectives: To investigate the dynamics of IL-17A levels in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) treated with secukinumab and to determine the relationship between circulating IL-17A forms and clinical response. Methods: We analyzed serum IL-17A levels in 33 samples from 11 SpA patients using the highly sensitive proximity extension assay (PEA) at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of secukinumab treatment. Clinical parameters including ASDAS and CRP were recorded. To distinguish free IL-17A from secukinumab-bound IL-17A, we developed an innovative IgG column-based assay that separates free cytokine from antibody-conjugated fractions. Results: Serum IL-17A levels significantly increased at 6 and 12 months post-secukinumab treatment. This increase correlated negatively with ASDAS and CRP, indicating better clinical response. Analysis showed that the rise was mainly due to the secukinumab-bound IL-17A fraction, while free IL-17A levels remained stable. Conclusion: Our study reveals that the elevated IL-17A levels detected after secukinumab treatment primarily represent the antibody-conjugated form rather than free cytokine. This conjugated fraction is associated with improved clinical outcomes, suggesting it could serve as a biomarker for therapeutic efficacy. The novel IgG column-based assay provides a valuable tool for differentiating cytokine forms in patients undergoing monoclonal antibody therapies, with potential applications beyond SpA. These findings advance understanding of IL-17A dynamics during treatment and open new avenues for personalized monitoring and management in autoimmune diseases.
Keywords: biomarkers, IL-17A, proximity extension assay, secukinumab, Spondylarthritis, Therapy response
Received: 03 Nov 2025; Accepted: 10 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Martínez-Moreno, Llamas-Urbano, Romero-Zurita, Hanaee, Escudero-Contreras, Blake, Rawson, Collantes-Estevez, Barbarroja, López-Medina and Pérez-Sánchez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Carlos Pérez-Sánchez
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