Refine
Has Fulltext
- yes (81)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (81) (remove)
Year of publication
Document Type
- Journal article (62)
- Doctoral Thesis (19)
Keywords
- gene expression (81) (remove)
Institute
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (25)
- Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie (11)
- Julius-von-Sachs-Institut für Biowissenschaften (8)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie (6)
- Pathologisches Institut (6)
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik (5)
- Lehrstuhl für Biochemie (4)
- Lehrstuhl für Tissue Engineering und Regenerative Medizin (4)
- Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie (3)
- Institut für Virologie und Immunbiologie (3)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie (ab 2004) (3)
- Abteilung für Molekulare Innere Medizin (in der Medizinischen Klinik und Poliklinik II) (2)
- Institut für Pharmazie und Lebensmittelchemie (2)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Mund-, Kiefer- und Plastische Gesichtschirurgie (2)
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II (2)
- Rudolf-Virchow-Zentrum (2)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken (1)
- Frauenklinik und Poliklinik (1)
- Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie (1)
- Institut für Klinische Biochemie und Pathobiochemie (1)
- Institut für Klinische Neurobiologie (1)
- Institut für Medizinische Lehre und Ausbildungsforschung (1)
- Institut für Medizinische Strahlenkunde und Zellforschung (1)
- Kinderklinik und Poliklinik (1)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral-, Gefäß- und Kinderchirurgie (Chirurgische Klinik I) (1)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenkrankheiten, plastische und ästhetische Operationen (1)
- Medizinische Klinik (bis 2004) (1)
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I (1)
- Urologische Klinik und Poliklinik (1)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
Background
The role of cytokines in the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is incompletely understood. We studied expression profiles of selected pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in RNA from white blood cells (WBC) of patients with a medical history and a clinical phenotype suggestive for SFN and compared data with healthy controls.
Methods
We prospectively recruited 52 patients and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Study participants were characterized in detail and underwent complete neurological examination. Venous blood was drawn for routine and extended laboratory tests, and for WBC isolation. Systemic RNA expression profiles of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-2, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-10, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF) were analyzed. Protein levels of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF were measured in serum of patients and controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC)-curve analysis was used to determine the accuracy of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF in differentiating patients and controls. To compare the potential discriminatory efficacy of single versus combined cytokines, equality of different AUCs was tested.
Results
WBC gene expression of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF was higher in patients compared to healthy controls (IL-2: p = 0.02; IL-8: p = 0.009; TNF: p = 0.03) and discriminated between the groups (area under the curve (AUC) ≥ 0.68 for each cytokine) with highest diagnostic accuracy reached by combining the three cytokines (AUC = 0.81, sensitivity = 70%, specificity = 86%). Subgroup analysis revealed the following differences: IL-8 and TNF gene expression levels were higher in female patients compared to female controls (IL-8: p = 0.01; TNF: p = 0.03). The combination of TNF with IL-2 and TNF with IL-2 and IL-8 discriminated best between the study groups. IL-2 was higher expressed in patients with moderate pain compared to those with severe pain (p = 0.02). Patients with acral pain showed higher IL-10 gene expression compared to patients with generalized pain (p = 0.004). We further found a negative correlation between the relative gene expression of IL-2 and current pain intensity (p = 0.02). Serum protein levels of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF did not differ between patients and controls.
Conclusions
We identified higher systemic gene expression of IL-2, IL-8, and TNF in SFN patients than in controls, which may be of potential relevance for diagnostics and patient stratification.