title: Significant alterations of serum cytokine levels in patients with Peyronie's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the expression of the cytokines transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in serum from patients with Peyronie's disease (PD) compared to healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-one consecutive PD patients aged 20 - 74 years were included in this study. All patients were diagnosed with symptomatic PD for the first time and had a palpable penile plaque. The patients previously had the disease for 6 - 72 months. None of the patients had a severe infectious disease or known systemic illness. For cytokine analyses, peripheral venous blood samples were obtained before treatment. Fifty healthy male blood donors aged 22 - 64 years served as the control group. TGF-beta1, IFN-gamma, Il-6, and TNF-alpha were analyzed quantitatively with commercial immunoassays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean cytokine levels in serum from patients were increased for TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma compared to healthy controls. The difference for TGF-beta1 was considered statistically significant (p < 0.001). IL-6 was not detectable in PD patients (p < 0.01) and TNF-alpha was decreased (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The significantly elevated serum level of the profibrotic TGF-beta1 cytokine underscores the effect of cytokines in the pathophysiology of PD. The significantly decreased TNF-alpha serum level suggested no acute immunomodulatory process. Therefore, the relevance for therapeutic administration of TNF-alpha should be further investigated. Quantification of TGF-beta1 in serum of PD patients provides a possible diagnostic tool and target for therapy. The data on altered cytokine levels in PD patients also provide a new understanding for etiopathogenesis of PD, which warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Elisabethinen Hospital, University Affiliated Hospital, Universities of Vienna and Innsbruck, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Reinhold P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feil
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hoeltl
authors.forename: Arnulf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stenzl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010411:Penile Induration / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma