Niveles de citoquinas megacariocitopoyéticas en pacientes con trombocitemia esencial y su relación con características clínicas y bioquímicas / Megakaryopoietic cytokine levels in patients with essential thrombocythemia and their relationship with clinical and biochemical features

La megacariocitopoyesis y la producción de plaquetas están regidas por factores de transcripción y citoquinas presentes en el microambiente medular. La trombocitemia esencial (TE) es una enfermedad mieloproliferativa crónica caracterizada por aumento del recuento de plaquetas e hiperplasia megacariocítica. En el presente trabajo se evaluaron los niveles de las citoquinas que participan en el desarrollo megacariocítico en plasma de pacientes con TE que se encontraban sin tratamiento y los de trombopoyetina (TPO) antes y durante el tratamiento con anagrelide. Las determinaciones se realizaron por técnica de ELISA. Dentro de las citoquinas involucradas en la etapa de proliferación, los niveles de interleuquina 3 (IL-3) se encontraron aumentados en los pacientes (p=0.0383) respecto al grupo control. Los niveles de factor estimulante de colonias granulocito-macrofágico y stem cell factor fueron normales. Dentro de las citoquinas con acción sobre la maduración megacariocítica, tanto la interleuquina 6 como la interleuquina 11 y la eritropoyetina estuvieron normales. Los niveles de TPO antes del tratamiento no difirieron del grupo control y durante el tratamiento aumentaron de manera no significativa. Los pacientes que presentaron agregación espontánea tuvieron niveles más altos de TPO que los que no lo hicieron (p=0.049). Los niveles de las citoquinas no tuvieron relación con ninguno de los parámetros clínicos ni de laboratorio evaluados. El aumento de los niveles de IL-3 podría contribuir al incremento en la proliferación megacariocítica en este grupo. La presencia simultánea de niveles más altos de TPO y trombocitosis sería un factor predisponente para la ocurrencia de agregación espontánea en los pacientes con TE

Megakaryopoiesis and platelet production are driven by transcription factors and cytokines present in bone marrow environment. Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder characterized by high platelet count and megakaryocytic hyperplasia. In the present work we evaluated plasmatic levels of cytokines involved in megakaryocytic development in a group of patients with ET that were not on treatment, as well as thrombopoietin (TPO) levels before and during anagrelide treatment. The assays were carried out using ELISA techniques. Among the cytokines mainly involved in proliferation of megakaryocytic progenitors, interleukin 3 (IL-3) levels were found increased in patients compared to normal controls (p=0.0383). Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and stem cell factor levels were normal. Interleukin 6, as well as interleukin 11 and erythropoietin (EPO), cytokines mainly related to megakaryocytic maturation, were normal. Plasma TPO levels before treatment were within the normal range and increased during treatment but the difference was not statistically significant. Patients who displayed spontaneous platelet aggregation had higher plasma TPO levels compared to those who did not (p=0.049). We did not find any relationship between cytokine levels and clinical or laboratory parameters. The high IL-3 levels seen in some patients with ET could contribute to megakaryocytic proliferation. The simultaneous occurrence of higher TPO levels and elevated platelet count could be a predisposing factor for the development of spontaneous platelet aggregation in ET patients

Stem cell factor in children with liver diseases

Stem cell factor [SCF] is an important signal transduction factor implicated in survival, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. It is produced by fibroblasts, liver cells, sertoli cells, bone marrow stromal cells and spleen cells. Chronic liver disease is a serious health problem in children. Theses chronic liver diseases include chronic viral hepatitis and congenital hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, serum SCF level has been studied in 30 patients with chronic liver diseases; 10 patients with congenital hepatic fibrosis, 20 patients with chronic viral hepatitis to uncover any role SCF in liver fibrosis. Increased serum level of SCF was observed in patients with chronic liver diseases when compared with the control group. This increase is also significant when comparing each group alone with the control group. SCF was significantly more increased in patients with chronic viral hepatitis when compared with congenital hepatic fibrosis. This increased SCF was negatively correlated with hemoglobin concentration, red blood corpuscular count, platelet count and serum albumin level and positively correlated with abnormal liver function tests suggesting the strong relation between SCF and degree of liver damage and degree of liver fibrosis occurring in chronic liver disease. This elevated SCF can be explained by proliferation and increase of stellate cells in liver fibrosis, which is established source of SCF. Increased level of SCF may be the cause of mast cell recruitment, proliferation and release of fibrinogenic factors, which are involved in pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis

Study of serum levels of stem cell factor in patients with bladder cancer

Stem cell factor [SCF] has recently been identified as a multi-potential growth factor that acts on early different progenitor cells of various lineages and triggers its biologic effects by binding to its receptor, c-Kit. The main aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of SCF in bladder cancer patients, and its possible relation with clinical course of disease. The serum SCF level was determined in bladder cancer patients, as our subject cases. The study group consisted of 35 bladder cancer patients and 35 healthy individuals as controls. The samples were prepared in two separated times, before operation and 2