title: Ocular and systemic determination of IL-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor in a patient with ocular inflammation.
abstract: Cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) may play an important role in ocular inflammation. We studied a patient with clinical features of sympathetic ophthalmia secondary to previous penetrating ocular injuries, and compared the ocular and systemic levels of IL-1 beta and TNF to control serum, and correlated these findings to histopathological sections of the patient's eye. Histology showed the presence of a diffuse chronic inflammatory infiltrate within the choroid and in a perivascular distribution in the retina. The significantly elevated ocular and systemic levels of IL-1 beta and TNF suggest that there is not only a localized ocular response but a systemic response as well. The presence of IL-1 beta TNF may play a role in the pathogenesis of ocular inflammation once the blood ocular barrier has been breached and ocular antigens have been exposed to the systemic immune system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Palexas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sussman
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Welsh
mesh_terms: D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005123:Eye / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha