Levels and significance of serum macrophage polarization-related cytokines in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease( IBD) is a group of chronic and non-specific intestinal inflammatory diseases of undetermined origin. Functional impairment of macrophages has been associated with the dysregulation of mucosal immunity in intestinal tract of patients with IBD. Aims: To investigate the correlation of serum levels of macrophage polarization-related cytokines with the development and disease activity of IBD. Methods: A total of 105 IBD patients admitted from May 2013 to May 2014 at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital were recruited,of them 65 were Crohn's disease( CD) and 40 were ulcerative colitis( UC). Twenty-four patients with colonic polyps were served as controls. Serum samples were obtained and the levels of interleukin-1beta( IL-1β),IL-6,IL-10,IL-13,interferon-gamma( IFN-γ) and inducible nitric oxide synthase( i NOS) were determined by ELISA method. Results: Serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,IL-10,IL-13 and IFN-γ were significantly higher in CD group than in control group( P 0. 05),and serum levels of IL-10,IL-13 and IFN-γ were significantly higher in UC group than in control group( P 0. 05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that serum IL-13( OR = 1. 009,P = 0. 005) and i NOS( OR = 0. 982,P = 0. 013) were correlated with CD,while Spearman correlation coefficient demonstrated a link between serum IL-10 and disease activity of CD( rs=- 0. 432,P =0. 014). No correlations were observed between serum levels of these cytokines and development and disease activity of UC( P 0. 05). Conclusions: Serum levels of macrophage polarization-related cytokines increase to varying degrees in IBD patients,but these cytokines have no obvious correlations with IBD and its disease activity. Presumably,theses cytokines are only involved in but not the triggers in the development of IBD.