title: Aqueous humor interleukin-6 levels in uveitis.
abstract: The level of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the aqueous humor of 24 patients with 2 types of uveitis was measured with a specific bioassay using the murine hybridoma cell line B9. Sixteen patients had Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis (FHC) and 8 had toxoplasma uveitis (TU). Sixty-three percent of each of the FHC and TU groups had raised levels of IL-6 in their aqueous (mean: 543 and 19,228 units/ml respectively). Thirteen control aqueous samples, obtained at surgery for senile cataract, showed IL-6 levels of less than 10 units/ml. Serum obtained at the same time as each aqueous humor sample also showed IL-6 levels of less than 10 units/ml, indicating that the raised levels of IL-6 found in the aqueous of uveitis patients did not result from serum leakage, but from local production. This is the first report on intraocular IL-6 levels, and indicates that IL-6 may play a role as an inflammatory mediator in uveitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmo-Immunology, Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute, Amsterdam.
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoekzema
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Haren
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: de Hon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kijlstra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001681:Biological Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015863:Iridocyclitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014126:Toxoplasmosis, Ocular / Q000150:complications; D014605:Uveitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6