Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with cervical myelopathy and lumbar radiculopathy

• Published in: European spine journal 2009-12, Vol.18 (12), p.1946-1950
• Main Authors: Nagashima, Hideki, Morio, Yasuo, Yamane, Koji, Nanjo, Yoshiro, Teshima, Ryota
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers - analysis; Biomarkers - cerebrospinal fluid; Cervical Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging; Cervical Vertebrae - pathology; Cervical Vertebrae - physiopathology; Cytokines - analysis; Cytokines - cerebrospinal fluid; Disability Evaluation; Female; Humans; Inflammation - cerebrospinal fluid; Inflammation - diagnosis; Inflammation - immunology; Interleukin-1beta - analysis; Interleukin-1beta - cerebrospinal fluid; Interleukin-6 - analysis; Interleukin-6 - cerebrospinal fluid; Lumbar Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging; Lumbar Vertebrae - pathology; Lumbar Vertebrae - physiopathology; Male; Middle Aged; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiculopathy - cerebrospinal fluid; Radiculopathy - immunology; Radiography; Severity of Illness Index; Spinal Cord Compression - cerebrospinal fluid; Spinal Cord Compression - immunology; Spondylosis - cerebrospinal fluid; Spondylosis - immunology; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - analysis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - cerebrospinal fluid
• ISSN: 1432-0932
• DOI: 10.1007/s00586-009-1069-7

There have been few reports describing cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with spinal degenerative disorders. This study investigated whether interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) could be detected in CSF of patients with cervical myelopathy or lumbar radiculopathy and whether the concentrations of those cytokines correlated with the severity of disease conditions. CSF samples were obtained from 21 patients with cervical myelopathy (Group M) and 19 patients with lumbar radiculopathy (Group R), and six volunteers (control). The concentration of IL-6 was significantly higher in Groups M and R than in the control, possibly demonstrating spinal cord and nerve root damage, respectively. However, TNF-alpha was lower than the detection limit. IL-1beta was detected in only five samples from three patients in Group M and two volunteers in the control. The concentrations of IL-6 did not show any correlation with symptom duration, the scoring system by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, or the duration of nerve root block. There is a possibility that the concentration of inflammatory cytokines in CSF can indicate certain pathological aspects of cervical myelopathy or lumbar radiculopathy.