Effect of the pre-operative condition on melatonin and its relationship with cytokines

Recent work indicates that stress and anxiety may lead to dysfunction of the immune system, including the secretion of cytokines, and the relationship between melatonin and cytokines. The present study has determined the association between melatonin and some cytokines in the stressful conditions that exist before surgery. Thirty patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (a surgical method to remove of kidney stone) were selected. Blood samples were taken from the same subjects just before surgery (treated as “cases”) and one month after it (“controls”). Serum levels of melatonin and the cytokines IL-4, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. There were significant differences between cases and controls in mean levels of melatonin and cytokines, and significant correlations were observed between melatonin and IL-4 in controls and between melatonin and IFN-γ in cases. It is concluded that stressful conditions such as exist before surgical operations may cause alteration in melatonin levels and its ...