Acute gouty arthritis (AGA) is one of the most common forms of auto-inflammatory arthritis. IL-17 is a key proinflammatory cytokine which has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases. However, to date little is known about the role of IL-17 in AGA. In the present study, we show that serum IL-17 levels are significantly elevated in AGA patients early in the onset of symptoms of gout, and decrease gradually as symptoms diminish. Correlation analysis indicated that IL-17 expression is not only positively correlated with disease activity, but is also correlated with serum levels of IL-1 beta which plays a critical role in the differentiation of IL-17(-)gamma delta T cells into IL-17(+)gamma delta T cells. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that gamma delta T cells are a major source of IL-17 production during the early onset of AGA. We therefore identify IL-17 as a potential novel biomarker for AGA and suggest that targeting the gamma delta T cell/IL-17 immune axis is a potential strategy for treatment of acute flares of AGA. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.