title: Plasma levels of TNF-alpha, endothelin-1 and thrombomodulin in patients with sepsis.
abstract: To investigate the roles of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and thrombomodulin (TM) in the plasma of patients with sepsis, plasma levels of endotoxin (Et), TNF-alpha, ET-1 and TM were determined in 30 such patients. Plasma levels of Et, TNF-alpha, ET-1 and TM at the time sepsis was diagnosed were 4.0 +/- 6.7 pg/ml, 98.5 +/- 92.1 pg/ml, 7.0 +/- 4.1 pg/ml and 7.8 +/- 3.3 ng/ml, respectively. There was no significant difference in the plasma Et level between the group of patients that survived (n = 13) or died (n = 17). Plasma levels of TNF-alpha, Et-1 and TM were significantly higher in the group that died than in the surviving group (TNF-alpha, p < 0.0001; ET-1, p = 0.028; TM, p = 0.0004). There were significant correlations between the plasma levels of TNF-alpha and ET-1, of TNF-alpha and TM, and of ET-1 and TM (r = 0.37, p < 0.046; r = 0.61, p = 0.0008; r = 0.63, p = 0.004), respectively. Results suggest that TNF-alpha is involved in the production of ET-1 and TM. Both of those substances appear to be involved in the morbidity of sepsis, and their plasma levels reflect its severity.
authors.affiliation: Critical Care and Emergency Center, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takakuwa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakae
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikichi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016232:Endothelins / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood*; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000032:analysis*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D018180:Thrombomodulin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha