Disease dependent qualitative and quantitative differences in the inflammatory response to ascites occurring in cirrhotics

Table 1 Characteristics of the 57 subjects’ studies and of procalcitonin cytokines, and growth factors in plasma (mean ± SEM)

Parameter	ETOH	HCV	Malignancy	Cardiac
n	25	20	8	4
Male/female	18/7	14/6	5/3	2/2
CTP score	9.1 ± 0.2	8.2 ± 0.1	8.1 ± 0.1	8.1 ± 0.1
Laboratory tests
Creatinine (mg/dL)	1.2 ± 0.1	1.1 ± 0.1	1.2 ± 0.3	1.3 ± 0.2
Prothrombin time (s)	14.0 ± 0.4	13.8 ± 1.0	13.6 ± 0.2	12.5 ± 0.2
Total bilirubin (mg/dL)	1.4 ± 0.1	1.2 ± 0.2	1.4 ± 0.2	1.9 ± 0.3
Albumin (g/dL)	3.1 ± 0.2	3.2 ± 0.2	3.0 ± 0.4	3.2 ± 0.3
PCT	0.375 ± 0.215	0.440 ± 0.230	0.954 ± 0.242	0.092 ± 0.70
IL-1A	0.26 ± 0.146	0.160 ± 0.070	0.182 ± 0.106	0.135 ± 0.065
IL-1B	4.710 ± 2.252	1.747 ± 0.800	1.982 ± 0.106	1.610 ± 0.990
IL-2	2.498 ± 1.333	1.203 ± 0.548	2.690 ± 1.905	1.025 ± 0.375
IL-4	3.157 ± 1.429	2.580 ± 1.005	1.508 ± 0.422	1.430 ± 0.090
IL-6	83.791 ± 47.204	164.430 ± 70.891	105.392 ± 60.511	129.700 ± 112.500
IL-8	92.790 ± 44.935	334.513 ± 184.222	104.165 ± 61.670	16.415 ± 6.815
IL-10	1.335 ± 0.454	1.620 ± 0.779	1.117 ± 0.297	1.415 ± 0.615
MCP-1	111.139 ± 17.746	326.407 ± 137.768	116.052 ± 32.101	88.350 ± 35.150
IFNγ	1.148 ± 0.650	0.303 ± 0.058	0.712 ± 0.201	0.725 ± 0.525
TNF-α	3.887 ± 1.218	5.843 ± 2.248	4.805 ± 1.304	13.600 ± 11.80
EGF	37.451 ±11.642	92.453 ± 42.231	70.690 ± 36.431	126.00 ± 35.150
VEGF	11.658 ± 4.419	194.347 ± 130.788	20.523 ± 7.739	41.470 ± 32.870

No significant difference between any of these groups P > 0.05. HCV: Hepatitis C virus; PCT: Procalcitonin cytokines; IL: Interleukin; MCP-1: Monocyte chemotactic protein-1; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; EGF: Epidermal growth factor; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.

Table 2 Procalcitonin, cytokines and growth factors in the ascitic fluid (mean ± SEM)

	ETOH	HCV	Malignancy	Cardiac
n	25	20	8	4
PCT	0.221 ± 0.129	0.125 ± 0.115	0.647 ± 0.497	0.043 ± 0.033
IL-1A	0.168 ± 0.042	0.200 ± 0.058	0.153 ± 0.052	0.700 ± 0.400
IL-1B	7.479 ± 4.813	4.3 ± 1.193	4.900 ± 1.021	5.000 ± 0.300
IL-2	1.368 ± 1.628	0.667 ± 0.067	1.990 ± 1.044	0.650 ± 0.050
IL-4	9.268 ± 1.628	15.833 ± 4.932	6.533 ± 0.984	10.555 ± 4.85
IL-6	687.177 ± 30.115	807.764 ± 0.867	707.525 ± 54.339	790.05 ± 39.750
IL-8	338.015 ± 91.838	329.567 ± 91.926	229.200 ± 105.057	718.25 ± 80.150
IL-10	74.686 ± 39.663	15.200 ± 3.5	9.043 ± 3.876	76.500 ± 44.700
MCP-1	919.608 ± 41.636	537.600 ± 88.357	576.728 ± 206.393	421.900 ± 82.6
IFNγ	2.114 ± 0.671	0.467 ± 0.267	1.488 ± 0.838	0.2 ± 0.1
TNF-α	22.818 ± 8.882	30.433 ± 20.055	9.672 ± 1.786	70.950 ± 61.750
EGF	1.318 ± 0.345	0.967 ± 0.167	2.407 ± 0.465	4.9 ± 3.4
VEGF	54.383 ± 12.143	129.733 ± 63.589	689.12 ± 499.836	119.450 ± 117.950

No significant difference between any of these groups P > 0.05. HCV: Hepatitis C virus; PCT: Procalcitonin cytokines; IL: Interleukin; MCP-1: Monocyte chemotactic protein-1; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; EGF: Epidermal growth factor; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.

Table 3 Mean levels of the plasma factors aligned from the highest to the lowest for each disease group

	Highest values → Lowest values
IL-1A	ETOH	Malignancy	HCV	Cardiac
	0.260	0.182	0.160	0.135
IL-1B	ETOH	Malignancy	HCV	Cardiac
	4.710	1.082	1.747	1.61
IL-2	Malignancy	ETOH	HCV	Cardiac
	2.690	2.498	1.203	1.025
IL-4	ETOH	HCV	Malignancy	Cardiac
	3.157	2.580	1.508	1.43
IL-6	HCV	Cardiac	Malignancy	ETOH
	164.430	129.700	109.392	83.791
IL-8	HCV	Malignancy	ETOH	Cardiac
	334.513	104.265	92.790	16.415
IL-10	HCV	Cardiac	ETOH	Malignancy
	1.620	1.415	1.335	1.117
MCP-1	HCV	Malignancy	ETOH	Cardiac
	326.407	116.052	111.130	88.35
IFN-γ	ETOH	Cardiac	Malignancy	HCV
	1.148	0.725	0.712	0.303
TNF-α	Cardiac	HCV	Malignancy	ETOH
	13.600	5.843	4.805	3.887
EGF	Cardiac	HCV	Malignancy	ETOH
	126.000	92.453	70.690	37.451
VEGF	HCV	Cardiac	Malignancy	ETOH
	194.347	41.470	20.523	11.658

HCV: Hepatitis C virus; IL: Interleukin; MCP-1: Monocyte chemotactic protein-1; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; EGF: Epidermal growth factor; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.

Table 4 Mean values of the various factors in the ascitic fluid aligned from the highest to the lowest

	Highest values → Lowest values
IL-1A	Cardiac	HCV	ETOH	Malignancy
	0.700	0.200	0.168	0.153
IL-1B	ETOH	Cardiac	Malignancy	HCV
	7.479	5.000	4.900	4.300
IL-2	Malignancy	ETOH	HCV	Cardiac
	1.990	1.368	0.667	0.650
IL-4	HCV	Cardiac	ETOH	Malignancy
	15.833	10.555	9.268	6.533
IL-6	HCV	Cardiac	Malignancy	ETOH
	807.764	790.050	707.525	687.177
IL-8	Cardiac	ETOH	HCV	Malignancy
	718.250	338.015	329.567	229.200
IL-10	Cardiac	ETOH	HCV	Malignancy
	76.500	74.686	15.200	9.043
MCP-1	ETOH	Malignancy	HCV	Cardiac
	919.608	576.728	537.600	421.900
IFN-γ	ETOH	Malignancy	HCV	Cardiac
	2.114	1.488	0.467	0.200
TNF-α	Cardiac	HCV	ETOH	Malignancy
	70.950	30.433	22.818	9.672
EGF	Cardiac	Malignancy	ETOH	HCV
	4.900	2.407	1.318	0.967
VEGF	Malignancy	HCV	Cardiac	ETOH
	689.120	129.733	119.456	54.383

HCV: Hepatitis C virus; IL: Interleukin; MCP-1: Monocyte chemotactic protein-1; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; EGF: Epidermal growth factor; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.

Table 5 Mean plasma- ascitic cytokine gradients segregated by disease etiology

	HCV	ETOH	Malignancy	Cardiac
IL-1A	-0.040	0.092	0.029	-0.565
IL-1B	-2.553	-2.769	1977.100	-3.390
IL-2	0.540	1.530	0.700	0.875
IL-4	-13.253	-6.111	-5.025	-9.125
IL-6	-643.337	-603.386	-602.133	-639.35
IL-8	-5.054	-245.225	-125.035	-701.835
IL-10	-13.580	-73.331	-7.926	-75.085
MCP-1	-201.193	-303.469	-460.673	-333.35
IFN-γ	-0.164	-0.966	-0.776	0.525
TNF-α	-24.590	-18.931	-4.777	57.050
EGF	96.486	36.176	-68.283	121.100
VEGF	64.614	-42.725	-668.649	-77.980

No significant difference between any of these groups P > 0.05. HCV: Hepatitis C virus; IL: Interleukin; MCP-1: Monocyte chemotactic protein-1; IFN-γ: Interferon-γ; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; EGF: Epidermal growth factor; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.