Aqueous humor and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha in clinical uveitis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the local and systemic behavior of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in patients with active uveitis. METHODS: TNF-alpha levels were measured in aqueous humor and peripheral blood samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay from 23 patients with uveitis and 16 control patients who had been operated on for uncomplicated cataracts. RESULTS: Aqueous humor and sera of patients with uveitis showed higher levels of TNF-alpha than those of controls (p < 0.001). A comparison of cytokine levels between aqueous humor and sera showed significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha in serum than aqueous humor (p < 0.001). Correlation studies using the regression test for successive steps showed that serum TNF-alpha levels correlated with recurrent uveitis (r = 0.4150; p = 0.0489). CONCLUSIONS: TNF-alpha is a cytokine that participates actively in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis. Our data emphasize the greater systemic than local participation of TNF-alpha. Finally, an elevated serum TNF-alpha seems to be associated with a recurrent pattern of uveitis.

[Aqueous humor and serum interleukin-6 in patients with uveitis]. / Interleucina-6 en humor acuoso y suero de pacientes con uveítis.

PURPOSE: A study on local and systemic behavior of interleukin-6 in patients with active uveitis. METHODS: IL-6 levels were measured in aqueous humor and peripheral blood samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from 23 patients with uveitis and 16 control patients who had been operated for uncomplicated cataracts. RESULTS: Aqueous humor of patients with uveitis showed higher levels of interleukin-6 than those of controls (p<0.001). A comparison of cytokine levels between aqueous humor and serum from patients with uveitis showed significantly higher levels of interleukin-6 in aqueous than serum (p<0.001). Correlation studies using regression test for successive steps failed to demonstrate any association between interleukin-6 levels and the different clinical characteristics of uveitis patients (laterality, onset, patterns, visual damage, localization, inflammatory activity, etiology, and association with the B27 + histocompatibility antigen). CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 is a cytokine that actively participates in the pathogenesis of clinical uveitis. Our data emphasize the greater local than systemic participation of this cytokine.

Interleucina-6 en humor acuoso y suero de pacientes con uveítis / Aqueous humor and serum interleukin-6 in clinical uveitis

Objetivo: Estudiar el comportamiento local y sistémico de la interleucina-6 en pacientes con uveítis en actividad. Método: Se determinaron los niveles de interleucina-6 en humor acuoso y sangre periférica de 23 pacientes con uveítis en actividad y de 16 pacientes operados de catarata no complicada como grupo control, mediante la técnica inmunoenzimática ELISA. Resultados: Los pacientes con uveítis presentaron niveles superiores de interleucina-6 en humor acuoso respecto a controles (p<0,001). La comparación entre humor acuoso y suero de los pacientes con uveítis mostró unos niveles significativamente superiores de interleucina-6 en humor acuoso (p<0,001). El análisis mediante el test de regresión múltiple por pasos sucesivos no demostró ninguna asociación entre los niveles de interleucina-6 y las diferentes características clínicas de las uveítis (lateralidad, comienzo, patrón, daño visual, localización, actividad inflamatoria, etiología y asociación al antígeno HLAB27+).Conclusiones: La interleucina-6 es una citocina que participa activamente en la patogenia de la uveítis clínica. Nuestros datos demuestran una mayor participación local que sistémica de esta citocina (AU)