Determination and Significance of Serum Interleukin-18 Levels in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.
- Author:
Do Young YOON
1
;
Kyung Ae LEE
;
Joong Kyoung PARK
;
Jong Wan KIM
Author Information
1. Laboratory of Cell Biology, Korea Rearch Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, Daejon, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Interleukin-18;
Interferon-gamma;
Interleukin-4;
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha;
Cytokine;
Chronic liver diseases;
Hepatitis B virus;
Hepatocellular carcinoma;
Chronic hepatitis;
Liver cirrhosis;
Asymptomatic carrier
- MeSH:
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular;
Cytokines;
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay;
Hepatitis B virus;
Hepatitis B, Chronic*;
Hepatitis, Chronic;
Humans;
Interferon-gamma;
Interleukin-18*;
Interleukin-4;
Liver;
Liver Cirrhosis;
Liver Diseases;
Necrosis;
Prognosis;
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
- From:The Korean Journal of Laboratory Medicine
2004;24(2):139-145
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to investigate the diagnostic value of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and other cytokines in chronic liver disease patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV), including chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB), liver cirhhosis (LC) with HBV, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with HBV. METHODS: Serum levels of IL-18, interferon-gamma (INF-gamma), IL-4 and tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-alpha) were evaluated using ELISA in 87 patients with liver diseases with HBV (asymptomatic carriers, 9; CHB, 19; LC, 40; and HCC, 19), 13 patients with non-hepatic diseases (NHD), and 9 normal controls. RESULTS: Serum IL-18 levels of CHB, LC with HBV and HCC with HBV patients were higher than those of healthy controls and asymptomatic carriers (P<0.05). Serum IFN-gamma and IL-4 levels were not significantly increased in all groups, but TNF-alpha levels were increased in LC and HCC patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Determination of IL-18 may be useful in assessing the severity and predicting the prognosis of liver dieases with HBV.
