Interleukin-17 as a new marker of severity of acute hepatic injury.
OBJECTIVE
To determine cytokines associated with the progression of acute hepatic injury (AHI), we comprehensively evaluated the serum levels of 17 cytokines.


METHODS
We simultaneously measured serum levels of 17 cytokines on admission using a newly developed suspension array protein assay system in 51 patients with AHI, including 15 conventional AHI (CAHI), 15 severe AHI (SAHI) and 21 fulminant hepatic failure (FHF).


RESULTS
Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and IL-17 levels were significantly different among the three disease types as determined by one-way analysis of variance, and only the IL-17 level showed a significant elevation in SAHI and FHF than in CAHI. Namely, the IL-17 levels in SAHI and FHF patients were 4.4 (2.0-11.0) (mean [1 .s.d. range]) and 5.6 (2.0-18.5) pg/mL, respectively, whereas all CAHI patients showed levels lower than the lower limit of detection (2.0 pg/mL). In multiple regression analysis for each factor of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, only IL-10 level was selected as the significant independent variable for total bilirubin level, only IL-17 level for prothrombin time, and TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels for creatinine level.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest the usefulness of serum IL-17 level in evaluating the severity of AHI, thus emphasizing the necessity for the basic investigation of the pathological role of IL-17 in acute hepatitis.
Yasumi
Yuki
Y
First Department of Internal Medicine, Advanced Medical Science Center, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
Takikawa
Yasuhiro
Y
Endo
Ryujin
R
Suzuki
Kazuyuki
K