Role of interleukin-6 and transforming growth factor-beta in anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder characterized by extreme weight loss and abnormalities of the neuroendocrine and immune systems. To determine the potential role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in anorexia nervosa, serum concentrations of these cytokines were measured in patients with anorexia nervosa during starvation and after weight gain. Serum IL-6 and TGF-beta concentrations were both significantly elevated during starvation and returned to levels comparable to those of normal-weight controls by the end of therapy. In contrast, serum TNF-alpha levels were undetectable in all patients and controls. Cytokines may play previously unsuspected roles in anorexia nervosa and its complications.