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Published on: March 1, 2011
Correlation Analyses Between Serum Interleukin-7, Interleukin-15 and Lactate Provide Insights Into Their Potential
Jingjing Zhao1, Ye Zhang2,3, Jun-Yu Wang2,3
1Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Our previous research have identified Interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-15 as prognostic biomarkers for elderly septic patients, however, little is known about the link between the serum levels of IL-7, IL-15, and lactate as well as their potential roles in the regulation of inflammation in elderly septic patients.
Objectives:
This study aimed at investigating the link between the serum levels of IL-7, IL-15, and lactate as well as with other factors in elderly septic patients.
Design:
This is a retrospective study including 129 elderly patients with sepsis who were divided into the survival group (N = 34) and the nonsurvival group (N = 95) and further subgrouped based on the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores.
Methods:
The baseline data and clinical parameters were recorded within 24 h upon admission. Serum levels of the cytokines were quantified by the Luminex assay. Spearman correlation analysis were performed.
Results:
Serum levels of IL-6, IL-7, IL-15, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were significantly higher in the nonsurvival group (P < .05). Correlations between serum levels of IL-7 and platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA), as well as correlations between IL-15, IL-6, and TNF-α were confirmed (P < .05). Both the serum levels of lactate and IL-15 correlated with the total counts of platelet (PLT) in the survival subgroup with low APACHE Ⅱ scores while the serum levels of IL-7, IL-15, and total counts of monocytes correlated with each other in the nonsurvival subgroup with different APACHE Ⅱ scores (P < .05).
Conclusion:
Knowledge of the regulation networks between serum levels of IL-7, IL-15, lactate, and other cytokines may provide insights into potential mechanisms in the modulation of inflammation in elderly septic patients and facilitate more prompt and accurate treatment to reduce the mortality rate.

