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Circulating interleukin-18 and osteopontin are useful to evaluate disease activity in patients with tuberculosis
Shin-Ichiro Inomata1, Noriharu Shijubo, Shigeyuki Kon
1Third Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
Background:
T helper type 1 (Th1) responses have been implicated in the protective immunity, pathophysiology and development of tuberculosis. However, it is still unclear which molecule(s) reflect disease activity in patients with tuberculosis.
Methods:
By specific enzyme immunoassays, circulating interferon-gamma. (IFN-gamma), interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-18 and osteopontin (OPN) were measured in 47 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 7 patients with miliary tuberculosis before anti-tuberculosis therapy, and also measured in 19 patients with tuberculosis before and after anti-tuberculosis therapy.
Results:
Circulating IFN-gamma, IL-18 and OPN levels were significantly higher in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis than in healthy controls, while there was no significant difference in levels of circulating IL-12 between tuberculosis patients and controls. Circulating IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-18 and OPN paralleled the extent of lung lesions, and circulating IFN-gamma, IL-18 and OPN paralleled the magnitude of fever in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Patients with miliary tuberculosis had extremely high levels of circulating OPN, IFN-gamma and IL-18. Circulating IL-18 and OPN were significantly decreased with anti-tuberculosis therapy, whereas circulating IL-12 and IFN-gamma were not.
Conclusions:
Among Th1 response associated molecules, circulating levels of IL-18 and OPN, but not IFN-gamma or IL-12, reflect disease activity in patients with tuberculosis.
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