title: Interleukin-6 production by peripheral blood monocytes in patients with chronic liver disease and acute viral hepatitis.
abstract: The in vitro production of the acute-phase mediator interleukin-6 by peripheral blood monocytes derived from patients with various liver diseases was studied. Compared with healthy controls (n = 45; 860 +/- 92 U/ml, mean +/- SEM), monocytes from patients with chronic hepatitis B produced significantly lower amounts of interleukin-6 (n = 14; 424 +/- 126 U/ml) after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (p = 0.02), whereas monocytes from patients with chronic hepatitis non-A, non-B secreted normal amounts of interleukin-6 (n = 13; 672 +/- 151 U/ml; n.s.). In contrast, monocytes of patients suffering from alcoholic liver cirrhosis (n = 22; 1310 +/- 153 U/ml) or primary biliary cirrhosis (n = 6; 1450 +/- 186 U/ml) produced higher amounts of interleukin-6 than healthy control individuals (p = 0.03, respectively). Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated monocytes derived from patients with acute hepatitis A, B and non-A, non-B showed an interleukin-6 production not different from that seen in healthy control individuals and did not experience a discernible change during the course of the acute disease. These results suggest that the production of the acute-phase mediator interleukin-6 varies in chronic liver disease in accordance with various etiologies with a reduced lipopolysaccharide-inducible interleukin-6 response in chronic hepatitis B and an enhanced response in alcoholic liver cirrhosis and primary biliary cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology II, University Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Zielinski
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides