Assessment of interleukin 1β serum level in different responder groups and stages of chronic myeloid leukemia patients on imatinb mesylate therapy

Hepcidin Gene Cloning and Expression Pattern in Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) after Vibrio. anguillarum Infection

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial peptides play crucial roles in organisms as the first line of defense against invading pathogens.

OBJECTIVE

To isolate the hepcidin (hepc1) gene from the liver of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) challenged with Vibrio anguillarum (GenBank accession number: AM113708), characterize it, and assess its expression level in various tissues.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The DNA sequence of hepcidin from S. maximus was determined from the total RNA extracted and reverse transcribed from this fish. The expression levels of tissue-specific hepcidin transcripts were determined using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reactions.

RESULTS

Hepcidin levels increased in the livers, head kidneys and spleens of the fish. The transcriptional increase was especially noticeable in the liver after bacterial infection commencement. The presence of hepcidin and interleukin-beta (IL-1β) in blood leukocytes was compared at the transcription level and hepcidin transcripts were detected earlier than IL-1β transcripts after infection, indicating that hepcidin might serve as the first line of defense to kill bacteria and may also play a more direct and effective role than that of IL-1β during the initial stage of the innate immune response when turbot are exposed to bacteria invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Hepcidin might serve as the first line of defense to kill bacteria and may also play a more direct and effective role than that of IL-1β during the initial stage of the innate immune response when turbot are exposed to bacteria invasion.

Interleukin-1β as emerging therapeutic target in hematological malignancies and potentially in their complications

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pleiotropic cytokine that exerts multiple roles in both physiological and pathological conditions. It is produced by different cell subsets, and drives a wide range of inflammatory responses in numerous target cells. Enhanced IL-1β signaling is a common event in patients of hematological malignancies. Recent body of evidence obtained in preclinical models shows the pathogenic role of these alterations, and the promising therapeutic value of IL-1 targeting. In this review, we further highlight a potential contribution of IL-1β linking to complications and autoimmune disease that should be investigated in future studies. Hence, drugs that target IL-1 may be helpful to improve outcome or reduce morbidity in patients. Some of them are FDA-approved, and used efficiently against autoimmune diseases, like IL-1 receptor antagonist. In the clinic, however, this agent seems to have limited properties. Current improved drugs will allow to determine the true potential of IL-1 and IL-1β targeting as therapy in hematological malignancies and their related complications.

Strong inflammatory response and Th1-polarization profile in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia without apparent infection

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) often present fever. Febrile states are usually associated with infectious processes that generate an inflammatory response involving various molecules, including cytokines. However, an inflammatory response may also occur in the absence of infection. We hypothesized that the levels of inflammatory cytokines are increased in children with ALL without apparent infection. The serum levels of 13 cytokines in 99 patients with ALL and 48 non-oncological patients without apparent infection were measured using multiplex analyte profiling technology (Luminex®). The concentration of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with fever was similar between patients with ALL and fever at diagnosis and those without fever. The levels of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and IL-10 were higher in patients with ALL vs. the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the levels of the T helper 1 (interferon‑γ and IL-12) cytokines were higher in patients with ALL vs. the control group. Transforming growth factor β was lower in patients with ALL vs. the control group (P<0.05). The levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-13, and IL-17 were similar in the two groups. Our results indicate that the circulating levels of seven of the important studied cytokines are elevated in patients with newly diagnosed ALL without apparent infection, reflecting a strong and deregulated inflammatory state in this disease, with a Th1-polarization profile.