ANALYSIS OF SERUM CYTOKINE LEVELS IN PRIMARY BILIARY-CIRRHOSIS PATIENTS AND HEALTHY-ADULTS

By using commercially available ELISA kits, serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha l evels in healthy adults, and the levels of various cytokines in patien ts with primary biliary cirrhosis or chronic viral liver diseases, wer e investigated. IL-6 levels of healthy subjects were distributed in a wide range, and the distribution pattern was similar to those of the p atients. TNF-alpha levels tended to be low in females in their 30s, bu t there were no abnormalities in the patients. Characteristic findings , in the primary biliary cirrhosis patients, were an increase of IFN-g amma and IL-2 levels, and a decrease of GM-CSF levels (P<0.05). IL-8 l evels were higher in the patients than in the healthy subjects (P<0.05 ), and the increase was remarkable in chronic viral liver disease pati ents. We believe that measurement of serum cytokine levels as a clinic al immunological test is highly useful. Further development of simpler , more rapid, and more sensitive analysis methods is desired. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.