title: Balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation.
abstract: This study was prospectively aimed at having better information about the natural history of serum cytokines in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplant surgery and at assessing their ability to set up an appropriate dynamic relationship between pro-inflammation and anti-inflammation. The levels of six cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10) were measured in blood samples collected at different time points before, during and after (48 h) the transplant procedure from the radial artery of 62 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation. IL-1 always stayed within the normal range; IL-2 showed elevated baseline levels but decreased up to half at the end of the study (p<0.0001). IL-6 peaked at the end of surgery and returned to baseline 48 h afterwards. The same happened to IL-8 concentrations. IL-10 levels shown above the normal threshold at baseline, peaked at the end of surgery (p<0.0001) and were halved at the end of the study (p<0.0001). TNF-α peaked at the end of surgery without, however, being different from baseline levels (p=0.6). The physiologic pattern of cytokine release and their dynamic relationship was found to be preserved with a quick return to a balance between pro-inflammation and anti-inflammation as shown by the IL-6/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL 10 ratios (used to assess the inflammatory balance). A correlation was found between perioperative pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and the severity of the liver disease necessitating OLT. In summary, cirrhotic patients can achieve a balanced inflammatory response to surgery which is considered a primary requirement for uneventful grafts and patients' postoperative recovery.
authors.affiliation: Liver Transplant Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy. g.biancofiore@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biancofiore
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bindi
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miccoli
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Metelli
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Panicucci
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baggiani
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Filipponi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000276:immunology*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10
keywords: Cirrhosis, liver; Cytokine; Inflammation mediator; Transplantation, liver