Abstract
Cortisol, interleukin(IL)-2 and IL-3-like activity (IL-3-LA) levels were examined in two groups of patients before and after surgery. One group consisting of 11 patients underwent cholecystectomy; the other comprising 17 patients with malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract underwent a removal of the tumor. In both groups there were similar fluctuations in cortisol levels after surgery, i.e. a statistically significant increase at day 2 after operation with a decrease to normal values at day 14. The levels of IL-2 and IL-3-LA production in the two groups followed a different pattern. In patients with cholecystectomy the IL-2 and IL-3-LA levels showed a marked decrease at day 2 with a gradual increase on the following days. In cancer patients IL-2 was at its lowest level before surgery and started to increase gradually till day 14 after surgery. The lowest level of IL-3-LA was at day 2 after surgery and it increased gradually from day 7 to 14. It is suggested that the fluctuations of these two cytokines after surgery are related to the levels of corticosteroids which have been shown to inhibit the production of IL-2 and IL3-LA in vitro. The observed increase of cortisol level with a concomitant decrease of IL-2 and IL-3-LA after surgery may further explain the immunosuppression observed after opera
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-40 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Natural Immunity |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |
