title: Serum interleukin-18 concentrations in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: Elevated expression of interleukin (IL)-18 mRNA and protein in intestinal mucosa, attributable to activated monocytes and macrophages in that site, has been reported in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, changes in serum IL-18 concentrations in patients with IBD have not been reported. We measured bioactive IL-18 in serum from patients with IBD, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mean serum IL-18 concentrations in 5 patients with Crohn disease (CD) were 400 pg/mL, approximately 1.7 times higher than concentrations in 21 control subjects (p < 0.01). However, serum IL-18 was not increased in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). These results suggest that like other T-helper type 1 (Th1) cytokines IL-18 may play a key pathogenetic role in Th1-mediated disorders, such as CD. Regulation and expression of IL-18 appears to differ between CD and UC, and serum IL-18 may be a useful clinical marker for CD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Laboratory Diagnosis, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Atsuhito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yagihashi
authors.forename: Momoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Nakamura
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masashi
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020382:Interleukin-18