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. 2019 Aug 24;19:207. doi: 10.1186/s12883-019-1433-0

Table 2.

Study results for the primary outcome of serum cytokine levels

Serum Cytokine Levels
Author Cytokines Assayed Increased in CFS/ME vs. HC (p-value)a Decreased in CFS/ME vs. HC (p-value)a
Fletcher, et al. [20] IL-Iα, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, IL-23, IFN- γ, LTα, TNF-α LTα (0.000), IL-6 (0.000), IL-1α (0.044), IL-1β (0.041), IL-12 (0.000), IL-4 (0.000), IL-5 (0.000) IL-8 (0.002), IL-13 (0.002), IL-15 (0.000)
Hardcastle, et al. [21] IL-1β, IL-1RA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-17, FGF, CCL11, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, CXCL10, TNF-α, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, VEGF IL-7 (< 0.001), IL-8 (0.001), CCL5 (0.009) IL-6 (< 0.001)
Kennedy, et al. [23] TGF-β1 TGF-β1 (0.005) none
Landi, et al. [24] CCL11, CCL24, CCL26, IL-8, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL13, CCL22, CCL3, CCL4, CCL17, GM-CSF, IL12/23p40, IL- 15, IL-16, IL-17A, IL-1a, IL-5, IL-7, TNF-β, VEGF-A, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α, CX3CL1, CXCL9, CCL19 CCL24 (0.007), CCL19 (0.04)

IL-16 (9.38 × 10− 9), IL-17A (2.79 × 10− 5), IL-7 (2.74 × 10− 4), TNF-β (0.003), CXCL9 (0.006), CX3CL1 (0.01), IL-1β (0.04),

VEGF-A (0.01)

Montoya J, et al. [25] CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL7, CCL11, CXCL1, CXCL5, CXCL9, CXCL10, FGF-basic, G-CSF, GM-CSF, HGF, IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ, IL-1RA, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, Il-13, IL-15, IL-17, IL-17F, LIF, M-CSF, Resistin, SCF, TGF-α, TGF-β, TNF-α, TNF-β, VEGF, Leptin TGF-β (0.0052) Resistin (0.0052)
Nakamura, et al. [26] IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α IL-10 (0.05) none
Nas K, et al. [27] IL-6, IL-8 IL-6 (0.007) none
Neu D, et al. [29] IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α IL-1β (0.000), IL-8 (0.000), IL-10 (0.015), TNF-α (0.019) IFN-γ (0.000), IL-6 (0.001)
Russell, et al. [32] IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, 1 IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, IL-23, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TNF-β, LTα IL-4 and IL-5 (p = 0.00 for >50yo), IL-12p70 (p = 0.02 for >50yo), TNF-β (p = 0.03) IL-8 (p = 0.02), IL-15 (p = 0.00)
Suhadolnik, et al. [33] IFN-α NS NS
Tomoda, et al. [34] IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-18, TGF-β, TNF- α NS TGF-β1

HC healthy controls, IL interleukin, IFN interferon, LT lymphotoxin, TNF tumor necrosis factor, FGF fibroblast growth factor, VEGF vascular endothelial growth factor, G-CSF granulocyte colony stimulating factor, GM-CSF granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, CXCL C-X-C motif ligand, CCL C-C motif ligand, TGF transforming growth factor, SCF stem cell factor, NR p-value not reported, NS not significant

a Cytokines listed as assayed for a particular study that do not appear as either increased or decreased indicate their changes between the groups were not significant

This table contains the results of the studies pertaining to serum cytokine levels