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
. 2019 Jan;17(1):812-816.
doi: 10.3892/etm.2018.6972. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Effects of febuxostat on serum cytokines IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and COX-2

Guohua Hao  1 , Wei Duan  1 , Jianping Sun  1 , Jingyao Liu  1 , Bo Peng  1
Affiliations

Effects of febuxostat on serum cytokines IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and COX-2

Guohua Hao et al. Exp Ther Med. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Effects of febuxostat on serum cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in patients with gout were investigated. A total of 80 patients with gout admitted and treated in the Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University from January 2015 to September 2017 were selected and divided into two groups by virtue of a random number table, with 40 patients in each group. All the enrolled patients received strict gout diet adjustment and took colchicine at the same time. Patients in the control group were additionally treated with allopurinol, while those in the the observation group were administered with febuxostat. The serum uric acid levels were compared between the two groups. The number of gout attacks and adverse reactions were recorded, and the variations in COX-2 positive value integral were clarified. At different time-points of observation, the serum uric acid levels in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p<0.05). Moreover, at 3 months after treatment, the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum in the observation group were decreased compared with those in the control group (p<0.05). The IL-1 and TNF-α levels were lower in the observation group at 1 week, 1 and 3 months after treatment compared with those in the control group (p<0.05). Furthermore, it was discovered that at 3 months after treatment, the COX-2 positive value integral in the observation group was superior to that in the control group (p<0.05). During follow-up, the number of gout attacks that needed medical intervention in the observation group was smaller than that in the control group (p<0.05). Compared with allopurinol therapy, febuxostat therapy can remarkably inhibit inflammatory responses in the body, relieve clinical symptoms and reduce relapse of the patients with gout.

Keywords: cyclooxygenase-2; febuxostat; gout; inflammatory cytokines; interleukin-1; interleukin-4; interleukin-6; interleukin-8; tumor necrosis factor-α.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Change in trends of IL-1 at different time-points of observation in both groups. At 1 week, 1 and 3 months after treatment, the observation group has significantly lower TNF-α levels than the control group in the same time period (p<0.05). IL, interleukin; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Change in trends of TNF-α at different time-points of observation in both groups. The TNF-α levels in the observation group at 1 week, 1 and 3 months after treatment are decreased remarkably compared with those in the control group in the same time period (p<0.05). TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Richette P, Latourte A, Bardin T. Cardiac and renal protective effects of urate-lowering therapy. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2018;57(suppl_1):i47–i50. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kex432. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Foody J, Turpin RS, Tidwell BA, Lawrence D, Schulman KL. Major cardiovascular events in patients with gout and associated cardiovascular disease or heart failure and chronic kidney disease initiating a xanthine oxidase inhibitor. Am Health Drug Benefits. 2017;10:393–401. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kim Y, Oh HC, Park JW, Kim IS, Kim JY, Kim KC, Chae DS, Jo WL, Song JH. Diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory joint disease. Hip Pelvis. 2017;29:211–222. doi: 10.5371/hp.2017.29.4.211. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anandh U, Jayanna K. Nontubercular mycobacterial infection in a renal allograft recipient. Indian J Nephrol. 2017;27:478–481. doi: 10.4103/ijn.IJN_336_16. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beslon V, Moreau P, Maruani A, Maisonneuve H, Giraudeau B, Fournier JP. Effects of discontinuation of urate-lowering therapy: A systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2018;33:358–366. doi: 10.1007/s11606-017-4233-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed