Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40604830›Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2025

Redefining the role of IL-18 in post-surgical recovery and sepsis: a key mediator of inflammation resolution.

Ioanna Papatheodorou, Gabriela Blažková, Veronika Bosáková, Zuzana Tomášiková, Erin Spearing, Robin Klieber, Pavel Ostašov, Julie Štíchová, Martina Dvončová, Alexandra Mýtniková and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Observational
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Ioanna PapatheodorouInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Gabriela BlažkováInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Veronika BosákováInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Zuzana TomášikováInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Erin SpearingInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Robin KlieberBiomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Pavel OstašovBiomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Julie ŠtíchováInstitute of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Martina DvončováDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Alexandra MýtnikováInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Jan EmmerFirst Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Kamila BendíčkováInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Tomáš TomášFirst Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Vladimír ŠrámekDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Petros KolovosDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Monika HolubováBiomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Martin HelánInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Marcela VlkováInstitute of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Jan FričInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic. jan.fric@med.muni.cz.
Marcela Hortová-KohoutkováInternational Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic. marcela.hortova@fnusa.cz.ORCID 0000-0003-1090-1665

Funding

Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky NU21-06-00408Ústav hematologie a krevní transfuze (UKT) 00023736
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTimely resolution of innate immune responses activated by surgical intervention is crucial for patient recovery. While cytokines and innate immune cells are critical in inflammation resolution, the specific role of IL-18 in these processes remains controversial and underexplored.

methodsWe investigate determinants of successful recovery using peripheral blood samples from orthopedic surgery (ORT) patients (n = 33) at T0 (before surgery), T1 (24 h after surgery) and T2 (3 days after surgery). Monocytes from ORT patients underwent immunophenotyping together with bulk transcriptomic analysis. We found that IL-18 strongly defines the recovery immune signature. These results were further validated in vitro by comparing IL-18 and TNF-α effects on monocytes, and in 3D human intestine organoids together with single cell (sc)-RNAseq analysis.

resultsTranscriptomics of ORT monocytes revealed upregulation of ITG family integrins, namely ITGB3 and ITGB5, CXCL family chemokines, notably CXCL1-3, CXCL5, and SCL/TAL1 factor controlling differentiation and migration, but not pro-inflammatory genes. Similar changes were observed in IL-18 stimulated healthy donor monocytes in vitro, including an increase in CD11b, CD64, and CD86 levels, accompanied by increased phosphorylation of Akt but not NFκB. These changes were attenuated in the presence of TNF-α, thus showing a unique role of IL-18 when acting alone without its most frequent paired cytokine TNF-α. We further confirmed that IL-18 induces monocyte-macrophage transition and migration using human intestinal organoids. Finally, TNF-α/IL-18 ratio showed a high predictive value of clinical severity in septic patients.

conclusionsWe propose a novel role of IL-18 on monocyte migration and macrophage transition characterizing successful orthopedic surgery recovery, as well as the ratio of IL-18/TNF-α as a novel marker of inflammation resolution, with potential implications for patient monitoring and therapeutic strategies.

Indexed as

InflammationInterleukin-18SepsisAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMonocytesOrganoidsTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaInterleukin-18Tumor Necrosis Factor-alphaCytokine profilingIL-18Inflammation resolutionMonocyte macrophage transitionRecoverySepsis

Identifiers

PMID40604830
PMCPMC12224801

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.