title: Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine induction in patients with refractory epilepsy.
abstract: The role of the vagus nerve in controlling and modulating inflammatory responses under physiological conditions has been investigated. The purpose of this study is to assess changes in the immunological state evoked by vagus nerve stimulation in humans, by measuring cytokines produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). We compared induction of IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-alpha by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated PBMC which were isolated from patients treated with vagus nerve stimulation for refractory epilepsy. We observed a significant decrease in IL-8 induction by LPS-stimulated PBMC after 6 months of vagus nerve stimulation in comparison to the pre-stimulation state. No significant changes were seen in the induction of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6 or IL-10. The present study shows that cytokine induction by PBMC isolated from patients with refractory epilepsy is altered by long-term vagus nerve stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Experimental Neurophysiology, Reference Center for Refractory Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Veerle.Deherdt@UGent.be
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Herdt
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bogaert
authors.forename: Ken R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Bracke
authors.forename: Robrecht
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raedt
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Vos
authors.forename: Kristl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vonck
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D055536:Vagus Nerve Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10