title: Increased serum concentrations of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acquired demyelinating peripheral neuropathy. It has shown that macrophage activation contribute to the pathogenesis of GBS. Therefore macrophage-mediated factors could be the potential markers for disease diagnosis and status of GBS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured serum concentrations of 4 macrophage-mediated factors, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in 23 chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), 28 GBS, 11 Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS), 40 multiple sclerosis (MS), and 12 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, as well as 15 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum TGF-β1 concentration of GBS patients (35.94±2.55ng/ml) was significantly higher compared with CIDP (25.46±1.40ng/ml, P<0.001), MFS (25.32±2.31ng/ml, P=0.010), MS (21.35±0.90ng/ml, P<0.001) and AD patients (22.92±1.82ng/ml, P<0.001), as well as healthy controls (23.12±1.67ng/ml, P<0.001). A positive correlation between serum TGF-β1 concentrations and Hughes' functional grading scales was observed in GBS patients. Serum concentrations of IL-6, VCAM-1 and VEGF were similar between the studied groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high serum concentrations of TGF-β1 and the correlation between serum TGF-β1 concentration and disease severity highlight the potential of TGF-β1 as a biomarker of GBS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuo-Hsuan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Rong-Kuo
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Shi
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Long-Sun
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hong-Shiu
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Feng
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yih-Ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hong-Chou
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Che
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address: cmchen@cgmh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Chiung-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
keywords: Biomarker; Guillain-Barré syndrome; TGF-β1