Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have an impaired immune response with a dysregulated Th1/Th2 cytokine network.
Methods: Twelve ESRD patients on HD were enrolled, and their data of cytokines alterations were divided into pre- and post-HD groups, while data from 12 healthy volunteers served as control. Th1/Th2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines were all measured by suspension array (SA) technology with interleukin (IL)-8 detected simultaneously by ELISA. The correlation between SA technology and ELISA for IL-8 was calculated to compare these two methods.
Results: In ESRD patients, as compared with controls, the level of IL-10 increased just prior to HD and IL-1beta level decreased only following HD, while the levels of TNF-beta and IL-8 decreased both before and after HD. After HD, the levels of IL-1beta, IL-4, IL-8, and IL-10 in ESRD patients decreased when compared with those before HD. Statistical analysis by Spearman's rho's test showed significant correlations between SA technology and ELISA on IL-8 (p < 0.001, correlation coefficient 0.946).
Conclusions: ESRD patients on HD show an altered cytokine profile with an increase in Th2 cytokine IL-10 and a decrease in Th1 cytokine TNF-beta as well as a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8. HD did affect cytokine profile of ESRD patients, decreasing IL-1, IL-4, IL-8, and IL-10. SA technology is useful in the detection of cytokine changes within detection limits of this technology in ESRD patients.