Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
06:12
Inducing Acute Liver Injury in Rats via Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) Exposure Through an Orogastric Tube
Published on: April 28, 2020
IL-15 levels in patients with acute hepatic failure
Chikara Yonekawa1, Hajime Nakae, Ya-Juan Zheng
1Department of Integrated Medicine, Division of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Akita University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita 010-8543, Japan. yone-c@sc4.so-net.ne.jp
Research Communications in Molecular Pathology and Pharmacology
|June 15, 2007
Summary
Interleukin-15 (IL-15) may cause liver injury in humans. Higher IL-15 levels were found in patients with acute hepatic failure who did not survive, suggesting its role in liver damage.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Hepatology
- Cytokine biology
Background:
- Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is known to inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).
- IL-15 has been implicated in causing liver injury in murine models.
- Acute hepatic failure is a critical condition with high mortality.
Observation:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to measure IL-15, IL-6, and IL-18 levels.
- The study included 20 patients diagnosed with acute hepatic failure.
- Relationships between these proinflammatory cytokines and IL-15 were investigated.
Findings:
- A significant positive correlation was found between Interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-15 levels (p = 0.0118).
- Patients with acute hepatic failure who did not survive exhibited significantly higher IL-15 levels compared to survivors (p = 0.0357).
Implications:
- Overexpression of IL-15 may contribute to the pathogenesis of liver injury in humans.
- IL-15 could be a potential biomarker for predicting outcomes in acute hepatic failure.
- Further research into IL-15's role in liver disease is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
In clinical practice, the direct measurement of hepatic blood flow to evaluate liver function presents significant challenges due to the intricate and specialized nature of the necessary techniques. Consequently, healthcare professionals often rely on empirical estimates derived from thorough patient examinations and liver function tests to gauge liver health. Among the tools at their disposal, the Child–Pugh and MELD scoring systems stand out for their ability to categorize and assess the...
01:26Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow
Chronic liver disease significantly impacts drug metabolism due to alterations in hepatic blood flow and enzyme accessibility. This disruption affects the body's pharmacokinetics—the movement and processing of drugs within the system. Key enzymes crucial for metabolizing medications become less accessible, changing how drugs are processed and utilized. Furthermore, liver disease influences the synthesis of plasma proteins, such as albumin and globulins, which play critical roles in drug binding...
01:08Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
Hepatic impairment, characterized by decreased liver function, does not uniformly mandate adjustments in drug dosage. Whether dosage modifications are necessary depends on various factors related to the drug's metabolism and elimination pathways. If a drug is primarily excreted via the kidneys and bypasses significant hepatic processing, if it undergoes minimal metabolic transformation in the liver, or if it is volatile and primarily expelled through the lungs, dose adjustments may not be...
01:30Liver Physiology
The liver, an essential organ in the human body, performs over 200 vital functions that can be broadly categorized into metabolic, hematological, endocrine regulation, and bile production.
Metabolic Regulation:
The liver is the central organ involved in regulating blood composition. It stabilizes blood glucose levels, maintaining them within the range of 70–110 mg/dL. When these levels drop, the liver breaks down glycogen reserves and releases glucose into the bloodstream. It can also...
Metabolic Regulation:
The liver is the central organ involved in regulating blood composition. It stabilizes blood glucose levels, maintaining them within the range of 70–110 mg/dL. When these levels drop, the liver breaks down glycogen reserves and releases glucose into the bloodstream. It can also...
01:29Hepatic Encephalopathy
DefinitionHepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neurologic syndrome that results from advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting. It leads to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and motor function due to the brain’s exposure to gut-derived toxins that the liver fails to detoxify.EtiologyThis condition develops either in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis or progressively during chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Portosystemic shunting—including...
01:11Renal Failure: Dose Adjustments
In patients with renal impairment, drugs undergo significant changes in their pharmacokinetics, which require dosage adjustments to ensure safe and effective therapy.
Reduced renal clearance and elimination rate are common outcomes of renal impairment. These alterations lead to a prolonged elimination half-life and an altered apparent volume of distribution for drugs. As a result, dosage adjustments are typically necessary to maintain optimal drug levels in the body.
However, dosage adjustments...
Reduced renal clearance and elimination rate are common outcomes of renal impairment. These alterations lead to a prolonged elimination half-life and an altered apparent volume of distribution for drugs. As a result, dosage adjustments are typically necessary to maintain optimal drug levels in the body.
However, dosage adjustments...