Prominent increase of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the sera of patients with uveitis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate pathogenesis underlying endogenous uveitis, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was quantified in sera of patients.


METHODS
Sera were obtained from the 55 patients with uveitis (24 with Behçet's disease; 9 with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada's [VKH] disease; 22 with sarcoidosis) and 58 healthy control subjects. MIF levels were determined by a human MIF enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
The mean MIF levels in the sera of the patients with Behçet's disease, VKH disease, and sarcoidosis and of healthy control subjects were 60.4+/-9.0 (mean+/-SE) ng/ml, 16.5+/-2.9 ng/ml, 27.1+/-5.6 ng/ml, and 5.4+/-0.04 ng/ml, respectively. The average levels of MIF in the sera of uveitis patients were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than those of healthy control subjects. The high levels of MIF were especially noted in patients with Behçet's disease at the ocular exacerbation stage and patients with sarcoidosis at the severe uveitis stage.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant increase of MIF in sera was characteristic of uveitis, and MIF may be a usefull laboratory parameter to use to comprehend the clinical course of uveitis.
Kitaichi
N
N
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Kotake
S
S
Sasamoto
Y
Y
Namba
K
K
Matsuda
A
A
Ogasawara
K
K
Onoé
K
K
Matsuda
H
H
Nishihira
J
J
D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000097:blood; D014605:Uveitis / Q000097:blood*; D014607:Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome / Q000097:blood
D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors