title: Cytokines, tryptophan and anorexia in cancer patients before and after surgical tumor ablation.
abstract: Serotoninergic system activity and cytokine production have been both implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer anorexia. To verify the existence of relationships between tryptophan, cytokines and anorexia, twenty cancer and six non-neoplastic patients were studied. Plasma amino acid concentration, including tryptophan, and spontaneous and LPS stimulated tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 release from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were determined before and after surgery in both groups of patients. A close relationship between plasma free tryptophan concentration and anorexia was observed, whereas no relationship between cytokine production and either anorexia or plasma tryptophan was found in cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: III Department of Internal Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cangiano
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muscaritoli
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Meguid
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulieri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laviano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cascino
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Preziosa
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Conversano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi Fanelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014364:Tryptophan