Cytokine production and modulation: Comparison of patients with chronic
fatigue syndrome and normal controls.

Psychiatry Res. 2005 Mar 30;134(1):101-4.

Tomoda A, Joudoi T, Rabab el-M, Matsumoto T, Park TH, Miike T.

Department of Child Development, School of Medicine, Kumamoto
University, Kumamoto, Japan.

NLM Citation: PMID: 15808295


We studied cytokine production in 15 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFS) and 23 controls.

CFS patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with
lipopolysaccharide or phytohemagglutinin.

Enzymatic immunoassay indicated cytokine concentration in culture
supernatants. CFS patients showed significantly lower mRNA levels and
transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) production.

Cytokine dysregulation affects CFS pathogenesis. TGF-beta1 may aid
treatment because it affects CFS inflammatory characteristics.