Cytokine mRNA levels in human fat tissue after injection lipolysis with phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate

Injections with Lipostabil, a phosphatidylcholine and deoxycholate containing substance, have become a popular technique to treat localized fat accumulation and lipomas. It is believed that the injected substance leads to fat cell destruction with subsequent acute panniculitis followed by a repair process of the treated fat tissue. We sought to investigate the mRNA expression of cytokines within the acute stage of panniculitis following Lipostabil injections. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 mRNA expression were determined using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in treated and adjacent non-treated fat tissue of lipomas 48 h after injection in seven patients. Following injection lipolysis with Lipostabil, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 mRNA levels were significantly elevated in treated fat tissue compared to non-treated fat. No significant differences were found for IL-4. Both in treated and non-treated fat tissue, mRNA of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-5 was not expressed. Injection lipolysis induces acute panniculitis within the treated fat tissue, associated with changes of the cytokine profile. However, their pathogenetic relevance with respect to clinical dissolving of fat needs further investigation.