title: Antioxidants and proinflamatory cytokines in the sera of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leishmania is a significant health problem in many parts of the world. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays an essential role in Leishmania major infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the pro-inflammatory cytokines and antioxidants in four groups of cutaneous leishmaniasis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  39 patients were divided into four groups of: 1) active (acute phase of treatment); 2) non-healing (received treatment for almost two years without recovery); 3) healing (recovered upon treatment); and 4) healed (previously received treatment and achieved complete remission) patients. Serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1B, TNF-α, IL-6) and serum antioxidant levels were measured by ELISA and FRAP assays, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While serum antioxidant levels were elevated in the non-healing group, there was no difference among other groups of patients and healthy controls in this regard. Interleukin-1β showed the highest level in the non-healing group followed by the other groups of patients. The mean serum IL-6 level was highest in the non-healing group, but showed no significant change in the other groups. TNF-α and IL-1β levels were non-significantly elevated in the sera of active and non-healing patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 maybe related to the progression of leishmaniasis. Serum antioxidant levels maybe correlated with patient response to drug treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, e-mail: swt_f@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Afshineh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latifynia
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khamesipour
authors.forename: Saied
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bokaie
authors.forename: Nematollah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khansari
mesh_terms: D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines