Cerebrospinal fluid levels of cytokines in non-herpetic acute limbic encephalitis: comparison with herpes simplex encephalitis.
BACKGROUND
Recently, non-herpetic acute limbic encephalitis (NHALE) was identified as a new subgroup of limbic encephalitis. The immunological pathophysiology of NHALE is still unclear.


METHODS
We measured the concentrations of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNFR1) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 15 patients with NHALE and 13 with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) by cytometric bead array or ELISA.


RESULTS
The CSF concentrations of IL-6 in patients with NHALE and IFN-gamma, IL-6, IL-10, and sTNFR1 in HSE patients were significantly higher than those of controls (p<0.001, p=0.004, p<0.001, p=0.018, and p<0.001, respectively). There were significant correlations among CSF IL-6, IL-10, and sTNFR1 levels in HSE patients. The CSF concentrations of IFN-gamma and sTNFR1 levels of patients with HSE were significantly higher than those with NHALE (p=0.001 and p=0.002, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
CSF cytokine levels in NHALE were relatively low compared with those in HSE. These results may be related to the favorable prognosis of NHALE.
Ichiyama
Takashi
T
Department of Pediatrics, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minamikogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan. ichiyama@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
Shoji
Hiroshi
H
Takahashi
Yukitoshi
Y
Matsushige
Takeshi
T
Kajimoto
Madoka
M
Inuzuka
Takashi
T
Furukawa
Susumu
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D020803:Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D020363:Limbic Encephalitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
D016207:Cytokines; C508609:IL10 protein, human; C508598:IL4 protein, human; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma