Interleukin 8, Serum

Optimal result: 0 – 3 pg/mL

Quest Diagnostics

By Healthmatters Editorial Team

Peer-reviewed sources

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a potent pro-inflammatory chemokine primarily produced by macrophages, but also by other cell types including epithelial and endothelial cells. It plays a crucial role in the immune response by attracting and activating neutrophils, basophils, and T-cells, though it has minimal effect on monocytes. IL-8 functions through binding to CXCR1 and CXCR2 receptors on target cells.

Key Functions and Mechanisms:

Chemotaxis: IL-8 guides immune cells to sites of inflammation.
Neutrophil activation: It stimulates degranulation, releasing enzymes to combat pathogens.
Angiogenesis: IL-8 promotes the formation of new blood vessels.
Oxidative stress: It increases the production of reactive oxygen species.

Clinical Relevance:

Elevated IL-8 concentrations are observed in various inflammatory conditions:

Psoriasis: High levels in psoriatic scales may explain the increased cell proliferation rate in affected skin.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Excessive amounts in synovial fluid contribute to chronic joint inflammation.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease: IL-8 is involved in gut inflammation and immune cell recruitment.
Cardiovascular Diseases: It plays a role in atherosclerosis and other inflammatory cardiovascular conditions.
Obesity-related inflammation: Adipose tissue inflammation is associated with increased IL-8 production.
Cancer: Elevated IL-8 is linked to various cancers, including breast and gastric cancer, often correlating with poor prognosis.

Symptoms and Manifestations:

While IL-8 itself doesn't directly cause symptoms, conditions associated with its elevation may present:

Joint pain and swelling (e.g., in RA)
Skin lesions or scaling (e.g., in psoriasis)
Gastrointestinal symptoms (in inflammatory bowel diseases)
Systemic inflammation signs (fatigue, fever)

Therapeutic Implications:

Managing elevated IL-8 involves addressing the underlying condition:

Targeted Therapies: Monoclonal antibodies like HuMab 10F8 are being developed to neutralize IL-8 activity.
Anti-inflammatory Medications: Drugs that reduce overall inflammation may help lower IL-8 levels.
Lifestyle Modifications: Weight management can reduce obesity-related IL-8 elevation.
Cancer Therapies: IL-8 pathway inhibition is being explored in cancer treatment.

Prognostic Value:

IL-8 levels can serve as a biomarker for disease severity or progression, particularly in chronic inflammatory conditions and certain cancers. Monitoring IL-8 may help in assessing treatment efficacy and predicting outcomes.In conclusion, IL-8 is a significant marker and mediator of inflammation with diverse implications across multiple diseases. Its elevated presence warrants further investigation and may guide treatment strategies in various inflammatory and neoplastic conditions.

Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is a promising marker for many clinical conditions and currently being applied by various subspecialties of medicine either for the purpose of rapid diagnosis or as a predictor of prognosis. Nevertheless, IL-8 level increased as a result of many inflammatory conditions, so careful interpretation of IL-8 level is required to make correlation with desired clinical condition's diagnosis or prognosis.

The Interleukins belong to the family termed cytokines. They are peptides used by immune and inflammatory cells to communicate and control cell operations.

The cytokines have some similar actions to the Growth Factors but Growth Factors regulate proliferation of non-immune cells. Interleukin-8 is a glycoprotein produced primarily by macrophages and monocytes. Its primary target cells are neutrophils.

Interleukin-8 is a chemotactic agent for monocytes and neutrophils. Interleukin 8 causes oxygen radical and enzyme release by neutrophils and mobilizes products into circulation. Interleukin 8 is stimulated by Interleukin 1 and Tumor Necrosis Factor.

IL-8 is involved in neutrophil activation, and is released from several cell types in response to inflammation, including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and intestine, kidney, placenta, and bone marrow cells. It is a member of the beta-thromboglobulin superfamily and is structurally related to platelet factor 4. IL-8 is involved in mitogenesis, inhibition of angiogenesis, inflammation, chemotaxis, neutrophil degranulation, leukocyte activation, and calcium homeostasis.

Promising use of interleukin 8 (IL-8) in various fields of medicine:

Field	proposed Use	Reference
Urology and Nephrology	Marker for chronic prostatitis	[6]
	Marker for acute pyelonephritis	[8]
Hematology	Marker for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma	[17]
Oncology	Marker for urinary bladder cancer	[5]
	Therapeutic target to control cancer growth and metastasis	[18]
Pediatrics	Marker for nasocomial bacterial infections in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)	[15, 16]
	Marker for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR).	[9]
Microbiology	Detection of pulmonary infections	[11]
	Detection of osteomyelitis	[12]
Nuclear Medicine	99mTc-labeled IL-8 scintigraphy for diagnosis of clinical conditions	[10]

References:

Baggiolini, M., Walz, A., & Kunkel, S. L. (1989). Neutrophil-activating peptide-1/interleukin 8, a novel cytokine that activates neutrophils. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 84(4), 1045-1049.

Stavros Apostolakis, Konstantina Vogiatzi, Virginia Amanatidou, Demetrios A. Spandidos, Interleukin 8 and cardiovascular disease, Cardiovascular Research, Volume 84, Issue 3, 1 December 2009, Pages 353–360, https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvp241

Koch, A. E., Polverini, P. J., Kunkel, S. L., Harlow, L. A., DiPietro, L. A., Elner, V. M., ... & Strieter, R. M. (1992). Interleukin-8 as a macrophage-derived mediator of angiogenesis. Science, 258(5089), 1798-1801.

Hoffmann, E., Dittrich-Breiholz, O., Holtmann, H., & Kracht, M. (2002). Multiple control of interleukin-8 gene expression. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 72(5), 847-855.

Holmes WE, Lee J, Kuang WJ, Rice GC, Wood WI. Structure and functional expression of a human interleukin-8 receptor. Science. 1991 Sep 13;253(5025):1278-80. doi: 10.1126/science.1840701. PMID: 1840701. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1840701/

Qazi, B. S., Tang, K., & Qazi, A. (2011). Recent advances in underlying pathologies provide insight into interleukin-8 expression-mediated inflammation and angiogenesis. International Journal of Inflammation, 2011, 908468.

Brat DJ, Bellail AC, Van Meir EG. The role of interleukin-8 and its receptors in gliomagenesis and tumoral angiogenesis. Neuro Oncol. 2005 Apr;7(2):122-33. doi: 10.1215/S1152851704001061. PMID: 15831231; PMCID: PMC1871893. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1871893/

Bickel M. The role of interleukin-8 in inflammation and mechanisms of regulation. J Periodontol. 1993 May;64(5 Suppl):456-60. PMID: 8315568. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8315568/

Cesta MC, Zippoli M, Marsiglia C, Gavioli EM, Mantelli F, Allegretti M, Balk RA. The Role of Interleukin-8 in Lung Inflammation and Injury: Implications for the Management of COVID-19 and Hyperinflammatory Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Jan 12;12:808797. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.808797. PMID: 35095519; PMCID: PMC8790527. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.808797/full

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