title: Cytokine profile in the liver of primary biliary cirrhosis.
abstract: We characterized the cytokine profile in the liver of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Total RNA was extracted from the biopsy specimens of 9 patients with early-stage PBC, 10 with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and 4 normal controls. cDNA was prepared and amplified with a polymerase chain reaction using primers for interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2, -4, -5, -6, -10, -12 (p40), and -15. Cytokines such as IFN-gamma and IL-5, -6, -10, -12, and -15 were expressed in most cases of PBC. Expression rates of IL-5 and IL-6 were higher than in CHC and controls. The higher expression rate of IL-5 in PBC was associated with eosinophil infiltration. IL-2 and IL-4 were rarely detected. Semiquantitative analysis revealed that the expression of IFN-gamma and IL-10 was reversed in PBC and CHC: high IFN-gamma and low IL-10 in PBC and high IL-10 and low IFN-gamma in CHC. These results suggest that cytokine expression is skewed in PBC and both Th1 and Th2 cytokines may play a role in the pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tagashira
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ibuki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yabushita
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger