title: Serum cytokine and soluble cytokine receptor levels in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remains poorly understood, proinflammatory cytokines seem to play an important role in the process of NASH. We have undertaken this study in order to elucidate the role of proinflammatory cytokines and their soluble receptors in NASH patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum cytokines and soluble cytokine receptors levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in 23 patients with NASH, 21 patients with simple steatosis, and 18 healthy volunteers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with NASH had significantly higher serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels than did the simple steatosis patients. Similarly, when compared with simple steatosis, NASH was associated with higher soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNFR1) and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) levels, and a significant positive correlation was seen between the levels of sTNFR1 and aminotranferases in NASH patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that circulating TNF-alpha/sTNFR1 and IL-6/sIL-6R levels are significantly increased in NASH patients as compared with simple steatosis patients and healthy volunteers, and that these increased levels may be implicated in the pathogenesis of NASH.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, and Department of Hepatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abiru
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Migita
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daikoku
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohata
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takii
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kusumoto
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Atsumasa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komori
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatsuhashi
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012995:Solubility; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha