Impaired interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor production in protein-calorie malnutrition

The capacity of malnourished infants to produce interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was evaluated before and after nutritional rehabilitation. Ten marasmic patients without infectious diseases 2 to 8 months of age with -2.48±0.54 weight for age Z score (mean ± SD) were studied on admission, and after 4 month of nutritional therapy in a Closed Nutritional Recovery Center. Cytokines were induced by in vitro stimulation of blood mononuclear cells with lipopolysaccharide. IL-1β and TNF-α were determined in supernatants and cell lysates using an specific immunoassay. Low levels of released and cell-associated IL-1β were found on admission; mean±SEM values were 2.0±0.5 and 1.3±0.5 ng/ml, respectively. After nutritional rehabilitation, a significant increase of released and cell-associated IL-1β were observed: 5.4±0.8 and 3.7±0.3 ng/ml, (mean±SEM) respectively, p&lt;0.01, paired t test. A significant increase in TNF-α production was observed in 8 of 10 infants after nutritional rehabilitation (p<0.02, paired t test). The diminished production of IL-1ß and TNF-α may be one of the mechanism by which protein calorie malnutrition leads to impaired immunocompetence and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases

Interleukin-6 production and deregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal axis in patients with major depressive disorders

The present study was designed to determine whether an association exists between HPA activity and cytokine production in major depression (MD). In 9 patients with MD and 11 control subjects of both sexes, all drug-free, activity of the HPA axis was evaluated by circadian rhythm of plasma cortisol, 24-h free urinary cortisol, an overnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test, and an oCRF stimulation test. Spontaneous and LPS-stimulated production of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNFα by peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also determined. We found a significantly elevated spontaneous production of IL-6 in patients with MD (3541.2 ± 726.8 vs 380.4 ± 77.5 pg/mL in controls, p &lt; 0.05), while LPS-stimulated production was significantly lower in patients than in control subjects (19,867.7 ± 3649.2 vs 33,142.2 ± 15,47.2 pg/mL, p &lt; 0.05). The adrenocorticotropic hormone response to oCRF, evaluated as the area under the curve (AUCACTH) was significantly lower in patients than in control subjects (p = 0

Leptin levels are associated with immune response in malnourished infants

Circulating leptin levels, proinflammatory and T helper cells type 1 (Th1), Th2 cytokine production, and lymphoproliferative response were measured in 15 infants with primary moderate protein calorie malnutrition on admission and after recovery of 10% of weight. Sixteen healthy, well nourished infants of comparable age served as controls. A significant deficit in the z-score of weight for age, weight for height, body mass index, and circulating leptin and growth factors were detected in malnourished infants on admission compared with controls (P &lt; 0.05). These deficits were associated with a significant suppression of the lymphoproliferative response, Th1, and proinflammatory cytokine production (P &lt; 0.05). After a 10% weight gain, a significant increase in circulating leptin levels was produced in parallel with a significant increase in Th1 activity, as revealed by an enhancement in interferon-γ and a suppression in IL-4 production. Concomitantly, the lymphoproliferative response bec