Proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-18) and apoptotic factors (HP 53, survivin) in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis

Background. Apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Its development can be triggered by an inflammatory process. In the present study, levels of apoptotic factors – survivin human protein p53 (HP 53) and IL-6, IL-18 were determined according to the stage of liver cirrhosis. Material and methods. Seventy patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, treated in various hospitals of the Lublin region, Poland were included in the study. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-18, HP53 and survivin were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Results. The serum level of survivin in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis was not statistically different from that found in the control group. The level of HP53 was significantly higher in the group of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis compared to the control group (16.53±22.69 vs. 0.39±1.31 U/ml; p<0.001). Likewise, the level of IL-6 was significantly higher in the group of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis compared to the control group (33.83±41.78 vs. 0.88 ± 0.56 pg/ml; p<0.001). Moreover, the level of IL-18 was significantly higher in the group of patients with liver cirrhosis compared to the control group (23.96±31.07 vs. 5.3±8.6 pg/ml; p<0.001). Conclusion. In conclusion, increased serum levels of IL-6 and IL-18 were demonstrated in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Moreover, the liver cirrhosis patients had elevated levels of HP53, which is a marker of apoptosis. Our results did not demonstrate the correlation between the levels of apoptosis markers (survivin, HP53) and the levels of cytokines (IL-6, IL-18) in the blood serum.