Median values of the 20 differentially regulated biomarkers in each population
| Cytokine functional group | Cytokine | Normal | Sarcoid | Scleroderma | |||||
| Median | Range | Median | Range | p-value | Median | Range | p-value | ||
| Innate immunity | IL-1β | 0 | 0–42.3 | 2.5 | 0–499.1 | 0.003 | 9.4 | 0–255.8 | 0.004 |
| IL-6 | 0 | 0–20.6 | 19.9 | 0–633.4 | <0.001 | 31.7 | 0–183.7 | <0.001 | |
| IL-8 | 0 | 0–19.5 | 42.0 | 10.0–1505.3 | <0.001 | 21.1 | 0–1962.7 | <0.001 | |
| TNF-α | 7.1 | 3.8–44.9 | 7.1 | 0.3–179.3 | ns | 7.1 | 3.8–217.2 | ns | |
| TNF-RI | 814.2 | 421.6–1208.8 | 1284.1 | 437.2–4006.9 | <0.001 | 1,430.6 | 586.5–4715.7 | <0.001 | |
| TNF-RII | 519.0 | 298.1–927.9 | 1628.0 | 155.0–2262.6 | <0.001 | 962.4 | 127.0–3867.3 | 0.002 | |
| IL-12 p40 | 77.3 | 23.7–234.3 | 138.8 | 49.3–387.4 | 0.001 | 169.8 | 43.8–2406.9 | <0.001 | |
| IL-15 | 0.9 | 0–17.6 | 3.2 | 0–252.0 | 0.049 | 5.7 | 0–674.7 | 0.001 | |
| Adaptive immunity | |||||||||
| T regulatory | IL-10 | 1.0 | 0.3–52.5 | 1.0 | 0–5.9 | ns | 2.4 | 0.3–14.8 | <0.001 |
| Th17 | IL-17 | 0 | 0–127.0 | 0 | 0–40.3 | ns | 11.2 | 0–634.0 | 0.003 |
| Chemokines | |||||||||
| Th1 CXCR3 ligands | IP-10 | 9.4 | 4.5–27.1 | 49.3 | 10.7–297.7 | <0.001 | 32.8 | 7.6–2468.0 | <0.001 |
| MIG | 27.6 | 22.1–52.4 | 108.5 | 29.9–1193.0 | <0.001 | 41.1 | 28.8–3068.0 | <0.001 | |
| Th1 CCR5 ligands | MIP-1α | 16.0 | 0–63.2 | 42.9 | 0–273.7 | 0.012 | 16.0 | 0–290.0 | 0.008 |
| MIP-1β | 121.5 | 53.5–276.6 | 340.4 | 33.5–1604.2 | 0.001 | 311.2 | 42.2–1107.1 | <0.001 | |
| RANTES# | 8.2 | 1.1–43.6 | 27.8 | 5.3–43.6 | 0.005 | 7.3 | 2.1–43.6 | ns | |
| Th2 CCR2 | MCP-1 | 420.7 | 164.0–794.8 | 425.6 | 226.7–1417.6 | ns | 859.8 | 235.6–5334.6 | <0.001 |
| Th2 CCR3 | Eotaxin | 156.3 | 97.3–271.1 | 171.3 | 67.4–347.3 | ns | 208.6 | 83.4–344.1 | ns |
| Growth factors | EGF | 166.6 | 33.3–374.1 | 421.0 | 83.5–593.9 | 0.001 | 325.6 | 179.4–711.3 | <0.001 |
| HGF | 145.1 | 44.1–223.8 | 327.4 | 114.8–734.6 | <0.001 | 416.4 | 188.2–932.1 | <0.001 | |
| Miscellaneous | DR5 | 0 | 0–198.7 | 148.1 | 0–4976.6 | <0.001 | 104.5 | 0–1820.2 | <0.001 |
The 20 biomarkers have been arranged into categories based on their principal function in the immune response. In each of the three groups, the median and range (pg·mL−1 except #: ng·mL−1) are given for each protein. In each of the two disease groups, p represents the probability that the median level of that cytokine is different from controls (Mann–Whitney test). Th: T helper cell; IL: interleukin; IP: interferon-inducible protein; TNF: tumour necrosis factor; MIG: monokine induced by interferon-γ; MIP: macrophage inflammatory protein; RANTES: regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted; MCP: monocyte chemotactic protein; EGF: epidermal growth factor; HGF: hepatocyte growth factor; DR: death receptor; ns: nonsignificant.