Cytokines: Pulling the Body Together as a Whole

It was not too long ago that replying "Cytokines" to the question "What's your area of research?" elicited a puzzled look from most researchers. It is a clear sign of how much things have changed that, towards the end of 2011, a PubMed search with the word "cytokines" comes up with about half a million hits and a Google search generates a 4-million-plus list. It now seems that everybody, not just biomedical scientists, know something about cytokines. And yet there is so much more we need to understand. Cytokines are small proteins that act as messengers between cells, carrying information that influences and determines a vast variety of functions, from directing embryonic development to maintaining homeostasis, from signaling to neurons to modulating bone structure This special issue of TheScientificWorldJOURNAL includes reviews and primary research articles on two aspects of cytokine biology that are being recognized as playing critical roles in the regulation of inflammation and chronic pathologies. The first section of this special issue deals with the inflammasome and the interleukin (IL)-1 family of cytokines, whereas the second section discusses aspects of adipokines and adipose tissue biology. Interleukin-1, one of the first cytokines to be described and cloned, is currently a pharmacological target for treatment of several condition

Editor's foreword

Humans need food (and love) to survive. At the evolutionary level, the survival of biological species is mediated by growth, fertility and longevity phenotypes. However, the human race has evolved in an environment of extremely difficult periods of time, when food was scarce. Hence, the act of hunting or gathering food was laborious and required higher energy expenditure than what it takes to have food nowadays. Such a scenario promoted the ability to eat as much as was available. The "thrifty" genes may thus evolved to promote human survival in a life of famine-to-feast cycle. The scenario, especially in the economically advanced countries, has been changed in the last two decades: the average person has enough money to fill the daily caloric needs with fast-food meals. And the average daily energy expenditure has declined in parallel with a sedentary lifestyle. Hence the evolutionary pattern of "the more you eat, the better for survival" became no longer an advantage but a liability, and the presence of Homo obesus is increasing dramatically.Biomedical Reviews 2006; 17: v-vi

Disparities in inflammation between non-Hispanic black and white individuals with lung cancer in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan area

BackgroundLung cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) compared to Non-Hispanic White (NHW) individuals in the Chicago metropolitan area, which may be related to exposure to chronic stress which may increase inflammation.Specific aimWe investigated disparities in inflammation as measured by neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in individuals with lung cancer by race and by neighborhood concentrated disadvantage index (CDI).MethodsThis retrospective, cross-sectional study included 263 NHB and NHW adults with lung cancer. We analyzed NLR as a continuous and categorical variable to determine degree and prevalence of inflammation. We used Mann Whitney U, t-tests, Chi square tests, linear and logistic regression models as appropriate.ResultsMore than 60% of subjects had inflammation (NLR ≥ 3) at lung cancer diagnosis. The degree of inflammation was significantly lower in NHB (NLR 5.50 +/- 7.45) compared to NHW individuals (NLR 6.53 +/- 6.53; p=0.01) but did not differ by neighborhood CDI. The prevalence of inflammation (NLR ≥ 3) was significantly lower in NHB (55.07%) compared to NHW individuals (71.20%; p<0.01) and in those from the most disadvantaged (54.07%) compared to the least disadvantaged (71.88%; p<0.01) neighborhoods.ConclusionAt lung cancer diagnosis, there is a lower degree and prevalence of inflammation in NHB compared to NHW individuals, and lower prevalence in those residing in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Further research is needed to determine mechanisms of inflammation that may be contributing to lung cancer disparities as well as whether NLR is an appropriate biomarker when examining racial differences in inflammation

Systemic and tumor level iron regulation in men with colorectal cancer: a case control study

BACKGROUND: Increased cellular iron exposure is associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Hepcidin, a liver peptide hormone, acts as the primary regulator of systemic iron status by blocking iron release from enterocytes into plasma. Concentrations are decreased during low iron status and increased during inflammation. The role of hepcidin and the factors influencing its regulation in CRC remains largely unknown. This study explored systemic and tumor level iron regulation in men with CRC. METHODS: The participants were 20 CRC cases and 20 healthy control subjects. Colonic tissue (adenocarcinoma [cases] healthy mucosa [controls]) was subjected to quantitative PCR (hepcidin, iron transporters and IL-6) and Perls’ iron staining. Serum was analyzed using ELISA for hepcidin, iron status (sTfR) and inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α). Anthropometrics, dietary iron intake and medical history were obtained. RESULTS: Cases and controls were similar in demographics, medication use and dietary iron intake. Systemically, cases compared to controls had lower iron status (sTfR: 21.6 vs 11.8 nmol/L, p < 0.05) and higher marker of inflammation (CRP: 8.3 vs 3.4 μg/mL, p < 0.05). Serum hepcidin was mildly decreased in cases compared to controls; however, it was within the normal range for both groups. Within colonic tissue, 30% of cases (6/20) presented iron accumulation compared to 5% of controls (1/20) (χ(2) = 5.0; p < 0.05) and higher marker of inflammation (IL-6: 9.4-fold higher compared to controls, p < 0.05). Presence of adenocarcinoma iron accumulation was associated with higher serum hepcidin (iron accumulation group 80.8 vs iron absence group 22.0 ng/mL, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While CRC subjects had serum hepcidin concentrations in the normal range, it was higher given their degree of iron restriction. Inappropriately elevated serum hepcidin may reduce duodenal iron absorption and further increase colonic adenocarcinoma iron exposure. Future clinical studies need to assess the appropriateness of dietary iron intake or iron supplementation in patients with CRC

Efficacy of a Weight Loss Intervention for African American Breast Cancer Survivors

African American women with breast cancer have higher cancer-specific and overall mortality rates. Obesity is common among African American women and contributes to breast cancer progression and numerous chronic conditions. Weight loss interventions among breast cancer survivors positively affect weight, behavior, biomarkers, and psychosocial outcomes, yet few target African Americans. This article examines the effects of Moving Forward, a weight loss intervention for African American breast cancer survivors (AABCS) on weight, body composition, and behavior

Increased Adiposity, Dysregulated Glucose Metabolism and Systemic Inflammation in Galectin-3 KO Mice

PMCID: PMC3579848This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited