title: Serum interleukin-6 predicts cortisol release in acute stroke patients.
abstract: Altered hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis was reported in stroke patients; however, mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are barely understood. Acute cerebral ischemia triggers interleukin-6 (IL-6) release into blood. Circulating IL-6 can stimulate hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. The goal of our study was to assess a relationship between serum IL-6 and cortisol in acute ischemic stroke. Twenty two patients with ischemic stroke and 17 controls were included. Serum samples were collected on the 2nd day of stroke at 6:00, 10:00 18:00, 22:00 h and at the same time points in control group. Cytokines and cortisol levels were measured using ELISA method. Serum IL-6 and cortisol levels were higher in stroke patients than in controls. Cortisol displayed diurnal variations in both stroke patients and controls. In contrast with control subjects, serum IL-6 levels did not display diurnal variations in stroke patients. In stroke patients, but not in controls, IL-6 level correlated significantly with cortisol level and morning serum IL-6 level independently predicted evening/night cortisol level. In conclusion, brain ischemia could stimulate IL-6 release in blood and in this way modulate hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szczudlik
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dziedzic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bartus
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slowik
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kieltyka
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D006854:Hydrocortisone