title: Increased transforming growth factor β and interleukin 10 transcripts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ability of immune cells in peripheral blood to produce certain cytokines affects tumour-elicited inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the gene expression of interleukin 12A (IL-12A), IL-12B, IL-23A, IL-10, IL-6, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), HDAC3, and iNOS in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The venous blood for PBMC isolation was collected preoperatively and 10 days after surgery, from CRC patients. After isolation of total RNA and synthesis of cDNA, quantitative real-time PCR assays were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results demonstrated that among investigated cytokine genes IL-10 and TGF-β were significantly upregulated in patients with CRC compared to the control group, while the expression of IL-23 mRNA was significantly decreased in CRC patients. We observed significantly increased mRNA levels in CRC patients' PBMC before surgery for IL-10 and TGF-β compared to both postoperative and control groups. We also found a significant upregulation of iNOS in early compared to advanced CRC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results we can assume that PBMC gene expression programming in CRC patients drives local differentiation of Th cells towards Treg instead of the Th1 anti-tumour subpopulation.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Noyko S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Stanilov
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Lyuba
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miteva
authors.affiliation: Hospital "Trakia", Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Geo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cirovski
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Spaska A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Stanilova
keywords: CRC; HDAC3; Treg; cytokine; iNOS; mRNA; qPCR