Cytokines play a crucial role in mediating immune responses to tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of cytokines in patients with different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and identify valuable cytokine biomarkers for the diagnosis of PTB. We measured the levels of six cytokines (interleukin (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)) in the serum of healthy donors (n = 30). Patients with active PTB (n = 46) and those with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI, n = 38) were examined using cytometric bead arrays. The levels of the six cytokines in the serum samples were measured promptly, sensitively, and simultaneously. The levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ were significantly higher in the PTB group compared with those reported in the healthy donors ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). In addition, significantly higher levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ were found in the active PTB group compared with those observed in the LTBI group ( P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). However, the levels of IL-4 and TNF-α in the sera of patients from the PTB group did not show a significant correlation with those measured in the healthy donor group. Our data demonstrated that IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ may be useful in the auxiliary diagnosis of tuberculosis and as biomarkers for distinguishing LTBI from TB.

中文翻译：

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利用细胞计数珠阵列检测不同类型肺结核患者血清中的细胞因子。


细胞因子在介导结核病 (TB) 免疫反应中发挥着至关重要的作用。本研究的目的是评估不同形式肺结核 (PTB) 患者的细胞因子水平，并确定对诊断 PTB 有价值的细胞因子生物标志物。我们测量了血清中六种细胞因子（白细胞介素（IL-2、IL-4、IL-6 和 IL-10）、肿瘤坏死因子（TNF-α）和干扰素-γ（IFN-γ））的水平健康捐献者（n = 30）。使用细胞计数珠阵列对活动性 PTB 患者 (n = 46) 和潜伏性结核感染患者 (LTBI，n = 38) 进行检查。快速、灵敏、同时测量血清样本中六种细胞因子的水平。与健康供体相比，PTB 组的 IL-2、IL-6、IL-10 和 IFN-γ 水平显着升高（P < 0.01 或 P < 0.05）。此外，与 LTBI 组相比，活动性 PTB 组的 IL-2、IL-6、IL-10 和 IFN-γ 水平显着升高（P < 0.01 或 P < 0.05）。然而，PTB 组患者血清中 IL-4 和 TNF-α 的水平与健康供体组中测量的水平没有显示出显着相关性。我们的数据表明，IL-2、IL-6、IL-10 和 IFN-γ 可能有助于结核病的辅助诊断，并可作为区分 LTBI 和 TB 的生物标志物。