The utility of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in the diagnosis and/or follow-up food allergy

Several pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators play a role in the immunopathogenesis of food allergy (FA). The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of serum biomarkers like interleukin (IL)-10, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the diagnosis and/or follow-up of FA. Sixty (25 females, 41.6%) newly diagnosed FA patients [IgE mediated (group-1, n=37), non-IgE (group-2, n=23)] with a median age of nine (1–33) months were enrolled. Twenty-four healthy children with a median age of eight (1–36) months constituted the control group (CG). In all the subjects, serum TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were evaluated at the time of diagnosis and reassessed four weeks after therapeutic elimination diet (TED). The mean white blood cell count and median absolute eosinophile count of the CG were significantly lower than group-1 (p values were 0.019 and 0.006, respectively). The mean absolute neutrophile count and the median IL-6 were significantly higher in group-1 when compared with group-2 (p values were 0.005 and 0.032, respectively. Median TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the pre-TED among all patients (p values were 0.005 and 0.018, respectively). In group-1, median TNF-α and IL-6 levels decreased significantly after TED (p values were 0.01 and 0.029, respectively). Our findings support the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of FA. Serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels may be useful markers for follow-up in FA, especially among IgE-mediated FA patients. Evaluation of IL-10 results was not sufficient for an interpretation of clinical tolerance.