title: Immune modulation by catecholamines--a potential mechanism of cytokine release in heart failure?
abstract: Cytokine blood levels are found to be moderately elevated in chronic heart failure, as a function of severity of disease. The source of these cytokines and the trigger mechanisms stimulating cytokine release are a matter of intense research. Potential players include bacterial endotoxin from intestinal translocation, a neurohumoral dysbalance with an enhanced sympathetic tone or an overspill of cytokines from the failing heart itself. We present arguments in favor of a direct link between the chronically enhanced sympathetic tone in heart failure and the clinically overt activation of the immune system, particularly interleukin 6 release.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine III, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. ursula.mueller-werdan@medizin.uni-halle.de
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Müller-Werdan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Werdan
mesh_terms: D002395:Catecholamines / Q000502:physiology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6