Significance of tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients with long-standing type-I diabetes mellitus.
Fifteen out of the forty-five patients with long-standing diabetes mellitus type I were characterised by the presence of TNFalpha in the sera when examined on several occasions over a period of five years. TNFalpha-producing patients had a better control of the disease and a smaller percentage of them suffered from diabetic complications as compared with those not producing this cytokine. TNFalpha-producing patients had lower levels of the proinflammatory markers - IL6 and CRP, and higher concentrations of ACTH and cortisol than those not producing this cytokine. We suggest that TNFalpha released systemically in diabetic patients stimulates the hypophysis-adrenal axis, and in that way indirectly ameliorates autoimmune response occurring during the advanced phase of the disease.
Myśliwska
J
J
Department of Histology and Immunology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland.
Zorena
K
K
Bakowska
A
A
Skuratowicz-Kubica
A
A
Myśliwski
A
A
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha