Cytokine and Antimicrobial Peptide Levels in Cholelithiasis

Objective. To study the cytokines and antimicrobial peptides concentrations in patients with cholelitiasis during 1 year treatment before and after the surgery. Materials and methods. 38 patients with a cholelithiasis were examined and operated in the Educational-Surgical Clinic of the Azerbaijan Medical University. According to the treatment regimen after the operation the patients were divided into two groups: patients of the 1st group (n = 17) received standard treatment; patients of 2nd group (n = 21), in addition to standard treatment hepatoprotectors, combined enzyme preparations, pre- and probiotics were prescribed. The control group consisted of 14 apparently healthy individuals. The levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α) in the blood and antimicrobial peptides (zonulin, calprotectin, and lactoferrin) in feces we studied with enzyme immunoassay method. Results. In patients with cholelithiasis of the 1st group, the concentration of interleukin-6 was significantly increased by 5 times (p <0.001), the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α - by 3.5 times (p <0.001), of zonulin - by 2.2 times (p = 0.012), of calprotectin - by 5.8 times (p <0.001, the concentration of lactoferrin - by 60 times (p <0.001), and in the 2nd group - by 4.8 times (p <0.001), by 3.1 times (p <0.001), on 91.7% (p = 0.011), by 5.8 times (p <0.001) and by 52.8 times (p <0.001) respectively in comparison with the control. Conclusions. Standard postoperative treatment supplemented by hepatoprotectors, combined enzyme preparations, pre- and probiotics prescription leads to a positive dynamics of inflammatory mediators concentration and its normalization.