Cytokine profiling of pancreatic fluid using the ePFT collection method in tandem with a multiplexed microarray assay

• Published in: Journal of immunological methods Vol. 369; no. 1; pp. 98 - 107
• Main Authors: Paulo, Joao A., Lee, Linda S., Wu, Bechien, Banks, Peter A., Steen, Hanno, Conwell, Darwin L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 30.06.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abdominal Pain - physiopathology; Abundance; Adult; Bicarbonate; bicarbonates; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarker; Cell activation; Chronic Disease; Cytokines; Cytokines - analysis; Endoscopy; eotaxin; ePFT; Epidermal growth factor; Female; Fibrosis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Humans; Immune response; Interleukin 1; Interleukin 15; Interleukin 3; IP-10 protein; macrophage inflammatory protein 1; Male; microarray technology; Middle Aged; Molecular immunology; Pain; Pancreas; Pancreas fluid; Pancreatic Function Tests - methods; Pancreatic juice; Pancreatic Juice - chemistry; Pancreatitis; Pancreatitis, Chronic - physiopathology; pathogenesis; patients; Protein Array Analysis - methods; Protein arrays; proteins; Statistical analysis; stellate cells; Techniques; Biomarker; Pancreas; Pancreas fluid; ePFT; Pancreatic juice; Pancreatitis; Cytokine; Biological marker; Digestive diseases; Pancreatic disease; Immunological method
• ISSN: 0022-1759; 1872-7905; 1872-7905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2011.04.012

Cytokines are secreted immunomodulating proteins involved in pancreatic stellate cell activation and propagation of fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis. We aim to show that cytokines can be identified from pancreatic fluid by (1) collecting pancreatic fluid with the ePFT method, (2) processing the fluid for cytokine-targeted microarray analysis, and (3) comparing cytokine profiles in pancreatic fluid of chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients and of chronic abdominal pain (CAP) controls. We endoscopically collected pancreatic fluid from patients with CP and those with CAP using the ePFT method. This fluid was subjected directly to a multiplexed cytokine protein microarray assay. Six patients (3 CP, 3 CAP) underwent a secretin-stimulated ePFT. The mean peak bicarbonate concentrations [meq/L] of the CP and CAP patients were 43 and 97, respectively. Statistically significant decreases in the cytokine concentrations of EGF, IP-10, eotaxin, IL-3, MIP-1a, IL-15, PDGF-AB/BB, and IL-1a were observed in the CP specimens (p < 0.05). We have successfully identified differences in the abundance of cytokines in ePFT-collected pancreatic fluid with a multiplexed microarray assay comparing CP and CAP controls. Further targeted investigation of cytokines in ePFT-collected fluid will broaden our knowledge of pancreatic immune response and pathogenesis in chronic pancreatitis. ► We have identified cytokines in pancreatic fluid using ePFT collection in tandem with cytokine microarray technology. ► Cytokines were differentially abundant in the pancreatic fluid of chronic pancreatitis and chronic abdominal paincohorts. ► We observed decreases in concentrations of EGF, IP-10, eotaxin, IL-3, MIP-1a, IL-15, PDGF-AB/BB, and IL-1a in CP specimens.