Abbas Shapouri-Moghaddam
◽
Seyed Jalil Tavakkol Afshari
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Mohammad-Hadi Saeed Modaghegh
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Hamid Reza Rahimi
◽
Mahmoud Mahmoudi
◽
...
Background:
Studies suggest that cytokines are involved in the development of both inflammatory disorders and
vascular diseases.
Objective:
The changes in transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), interleukin 6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and
interferon γ (IFNγ) with the progression of the thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) symptomswereinvestigated in this research.
Methods:
This study included 80 patients with TAO, who were selected from the Vascular and Endovascular Research Center in Alavi Hospital between 2012 and 2016. They were then categorized into three groups: mild (migratory thrombophlebitis, cold sensitivity or Raynaud's phenomenon, and skin discoloration), moderate (chronic ulcers, claudication, and burning
pain of the feet at night), and severe (pain at rest and spontaneous gangrene) symptoms. The serum levels of TGFβ, IL6,
TNFα, and IFNγwere determinedby the ELISA method and compared among the groups.
Results:
The first three predominant symptoms were pulse disorder (n = 76, 95.00%), cold intolerance (n = 61, 76.25%),
and claudication (n = 59, 73.75%). A comparison of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that both TGFβ and
IL6 were dysregulatedas the severity of the symptoms increased from the moderate to the severe stages; however, such
changes were not significant(p > 0.05). In the multiple logistic regression model, increased TNFαlevelswere seen in the
presence of the moderatesymptoms as compared to the severe ones (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
It could be concluded that TNFα, as part of the defining cytokine-production profile of Thelper cells, can be
significantly involved in the progression of TAO from the moderate to the severe stages.