Serum cytokines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Correlation of interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha with the characteristics of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Serum cytokines such as interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) were measured in 40 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the 40 patients studied, serum IL-1 beta was detected in 5 patients, IFN-gamma in 10 patients, and TNF alpha in 20 patients. The IL-1 beta-positive group showed increased values of activity indices compared to the IL-1 beta-negative group. Values of serum IFN-gamma correlated well with the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes and CD3+ cells and with the percentage of CD3+ CD26+ cells. Values of serum TNF alpha correlated positively with the number of peripheral blood monocytes and the percentage of CD3+ HLA-DR+ and CD3+ CD25+ cells. These results indicated that serum IL-1 beta in RA patients reflects the activity of RA, while the serum IFN-gamma and TNF alpha in RA patients may be related to circulating activated lymphocytes and monocytes, respectively.
Sakito
S
S
First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Ueki
Y
Y
Eguchi
K
K
Kawabe
Y
Y
Nagataki
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma