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Published on: August 7, 2017

Serum and urine interleukin-6 and transforming growth factor-beta1 in young infants with pyelonephritis

Emmanouil Galanakis1, Maria Bitsori, Helen Dimitriou

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.

International Urology and Nephrology
|February 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is implicated in early pyelonephritis in infants, as indicated by elevated urine IL-6 levels. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) does not appear to play a significant role in the acute phase of this infection.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Cytokines are crucial in the acute response to pyelonephritis and subsequent renal scarring.
  • Assessing pro-inflammatory (IL-6) and anti-inflammatory/pro-fibrotic (TGF-beta1) cytokines is important in young infants with pyelonephritis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate serum and urine concentrations of IL-6 and TGF-beta1 in infants with pyelonephritis.
  • To understand the role of these cytokines in the early pathogenesis of pyelonephritis in neonates and young infants.

Main Methods:

  • Serum and urine samples collected from infants with pyelonephritis and non-renal fever.
  • Enzyme immunoassay used to quantify IL-6 and TGF-beta1 concentrations.
  • Comparison of cytokine levels between pyelonephritis patients and control groups.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in serum IL-6 or TGF-beta1 between pyelonephritis infants and controls.
  • Significantly higher urine IL-6 levels observed in infants with pyelonephritis compared to controls (P=0.0106).
  • Urine TGF-beta1 levels were lower in pyelonephritis infants, but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.0705).

Conclusions:

  • IL-6 is confirmed to be involved in the early stages of pyelonephritis pathogenesis in young infants.
  • TGF-beta1 does not appear to be significantly involved in the acute phase of pyelonephritis.
  • Further research is needed to clarify the role of TGF-beta1 in the development of renal scarring associated with pyelonephritis.
Abstract

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