Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Oct;154(10):2142-2149.
doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.06.039. Epub 2013 Jun 27.

Local cytokine changes in complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I) resolve after 6 months

Melanie Lenz  1 , Nurcan Üçeyler, Jule Frettlöh, Oliver Höffken, Elena K Krumova, Silke Lissek, Annika Reinersmann, Claudia Sommer, Philipp Stude, Ana M Waaga-Gasser, Martin Tegenthoff, Christoph Maier
Affiliations

Local cytokine changes in complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I) resolve after 6 months

Melanie Lenz et al. Pain. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

There is evidence that inflammatory processes are involved in at least the early phase of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). We compared a panel of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines in skin blister fluids and serum from patients with CRPS and patients with upper-limb pain of other origin (non-CRPS) in the early stage (< 1 year) and after 6 months of pain treatment. Blister fluid was collected from the affected and contralateral nonaffected side. We used a multiplex-10 bead array cytokine assay and Luminex technology to measure protein concentrations of the cytokines interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and the chemokines eotaxin, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and macrophage inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β). We found bilaterally increased proinflammatory TNF-α and MIP-1β and decreased antiinflammatory IL-1RA protein levels in CRPS patients compared to non-CRPS patients. Neither group showed side differences. After 6 months under analgesic treatment, protein levels of all measured cytokines in CRPS patients, except for IL-6, significantly changed bilaterally to the level of non-CRPS patients. These changes were not related to treatment outcome. In serum, only IL-8, TNF-α, eotaxin, MCP-1, and MIP-1β were detectable without intergroup differences. Blister fluid of CRPS patients showed a bilateral proinflammatory cytokine profile. This profile seems to be relevant only at the early stage of CRPS. Almost all measured cytokine levels were comparable to those of non-CRPS patients after 6 months of analgesic treatment and were not related to treatment outcome.

Keywords: Complex regional pain syndrome; Cytokine concentrations; Local inflammation; Neuropathic pain; Rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Letter to the editor.
    Carcamo CR. Carcamo CR. Pain. 2014 Jun;155(6):1177. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2014.03.008. Epub 2014 Mar 15. Pain. 2014. PMID: 24637037 No abstract available.

References

    1. Abbadie C. Chemokines, chemokine receptors and pain. Trends Immunol. 2005;26:529-534.
    1. Alexander GM, Perreault MJ, Reichenberger ER, Schwartzman RJ. Changes in immune and glial markers in the CSF of patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Brain Behav Immun. 2007;21:668-676.
    1. Alexander GM, Peterlin BL, Perreault MJ, Grothusen JR, Schwartzman RJ. Changes in plasma cytokines and their soluble receptors in complex regional pain syndrome. J Pain. 2012;13:10-20.
    1. Alexander GM, van Rijn MA, van Hilten JJ, Perreault MJ, Schwartzman RJ. Changes in cerebrospinal fluid levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in CRPS. PAIN®. 2005;116:213-219.
    1. Austin PJ, Moalem-Taylor G. The neuro-immune balance in neuropathic pain: involvement of inflammatory immune cells, immune-like glial cells and cytokines. J Neuroimmunol. 2010;229:26-50.

Publication types