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Cytokines, chemokines and growth factors regulate inflammation, resistance to infection and tissue repair. Understanding their function within tissues is a priority in evolving therapy for a number of disease processes. Yet, the existence of complex networks of these factors in the tissue microenvironment has made understanding of their interactions difficult. We demonstrate the capability of microdialysis probes to recover small proteins efficiently in vitro. Further we show that microdialysis of human tissues allows for protein recovery from tissue interstitial fluid. This technology, combined with a multiplexed immunoassay, facilitates the simultaneous measurement of cytokines and chemokines in response to injury in the oral mucosa of human subjects in vivo.

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induces an inflammatory response believed to contribute to postoperative morbidity. We hypothesized that the magnitude of the inflammatory response following CPB would be associated with adverse clinical outcomes.¶Methods: Twenty-nine patients had plasma TNF, IL-6, IL-8, elastase, histamine, complement C5a, and complement C3a measured by ELISA before, during, and after cardiac operations employing CPB. Inflammatory mediator levels were analyzed with respect to outcomes.¶Results: Mediator levels peaked at 4 h post-CPB and either returned to baseline or substantially decreased by 24 h. Patients with peak mediator levels above the median for the group as a whole were classified as 'hyper-responders'; those with levels below the median were classified as 'normal responders'. While IL-8, C3a, and IL-6 levels were independently associated with adverse outcomes, TNF, histamine, and C5a levels were not. Elastase levels trended towards adverse outcomes. IL-8 'hyper-responders' experienced significantly greater postoperative weight gain and had higher IL-8 levels at 24 h (p