Introduction

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumour in adults. Systemic immunometabolic alterations are increasingly implicated in its pathogenesis, yet sex- and age-specific patterns remain unclear, especially in Uzbekistan. To characterize circulating cytokine and biochemical profiles in newly diagnosed GBM patients and assess sex- and age-related differences.

Material and methods

This cross-sectional study included 26 GBM patients (18 females, 8 males) and 26 matched healthy controls. Serum interleukin (IL)-10, IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IFN-γ were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and biochemical parameters (alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase – ALT, aspartate aminotransferase – AST, bilirubin, calcium, magnesium, iron, creatinine, uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase – LDH, phosphorus) were analysed by automated assays. Data were evaluated using ANOVA, t-tests, correlations, and principal component analysis (p < 0.05).

Results

No sex-based differences were observed (p > 0.05). Older patients had higher uric acid (p = 0.029) and borderline elevated IL-10 (p = 0.048) levels. Pro-inflammatory cytokines correlated with metabolic markers (ALT, AST, uric acid, LDH) and bilirubin correlated with iron/LDH.

Conclusions

Glioblastoma-related immunometabolic profiles are influenced mainly by tumour-intrinsic factors rather than sex, while age contributes to metabolic shifts. These findings provide novel regional data and support cytokine-biochemical profiling for biomarker development.