肺結核患者におけるサイトカイン産生能に関する研究 : 第1報 末梢血血清中のサイトカイン濃度の検討

Abstract

Concentrations of IL-8 and TNF-α in the serum of 16 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (patients group) were measured by ELISA before the initiation of antituberculous therapy, and were compared with those measured in 20 age and smoking habit-matched healthy controls. The mean level of serum IL-8 in patients group was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (P＜0.001). The mean level of serum TNF-α in tuberculosis patients was also high, while TNF-α was not measurable in the serum of healthy controls. The relationship between clinical pictures, defined mainly by radiographic findings, and the serum levels of IL-8 and TNF-α were examined. Serum IL-8 levels of 9 patients with cavity were significantly higher those that of 7 patients without cavity (P＜0.05). Out of 9 patients with cavity, four patients with advanced lesions on chest rentogenogram had higher serum IL-8 levels then did the remaining 5 patients with moderate lesions (P＜ 0.05), but there was no correlation between TNF-α level and radiographic findings. Those results suggest that IL-8 appears to be involved in the formation of tuberculous cavitary lesion.