Mucosal cytokine production in small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth

Mucosal production of interferon-gamma, interleukin-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha is increased in inflammatory bowel disease and parallels disease activity. Interferon-gamma production is also increased in coeliac disease. Conversely, local cytokine profiles have not been investigated in small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This study addressed this issue.

Eighteen adult subjects were studies with culture of proximal small-intestinal luminal secretion and measurement of luminal interferon-gamma, interleukin-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha concentrations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Small-intestinal histology was assessed by light microscopy.

Interferon-gamma, interleukin-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha were measurable in proximal small-intestinal luminal secretions of all subjects, even in the absence of light microscopic evidence of enteropathy. Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth was present in 12 of 18 (66.7%) subjects. Luminal concentrations of neither interferon-gamma nor tumour necrosis factor-alpha differed significantly in subjects with and without small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (P + 0.06 and P = 1.0, respectively). Conversely, luminal interleukin-6 concentrations were significantly increased in subjects with this disorder (P = 0.02). Multivariate linear regression analysis suggested that colonic-type rather than salivary-type flora mediated this increased interleukin-6 response (P = 0.02 and P = 0.64, respectively). No correlation was found between luminal interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha concentrations, even after the confounding influence of colonic-type bacteria was excluded (P = 0.60).

These findings suggest that increased mucosal production of interleukin-6 occurs in small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth, particularly when the overgrowth flora includes colonic-type bacteria. Conversely, luminal levels of neither interferon-gamma nor tumour necrosis factor-alpha are increased in the circumstance, distinguishing the local cytokine profile in this disorder from those that occur in coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.