Patterns of inflammatory cytokine serum concentrations during the perinatal period

doi:10.1016/S0378-3782(99)00029-8

Early Human Development

Volume 56, Issue 1, September 1999, Pages 31-38

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-3782(99)00029-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in the serum of healthy, term neonates on the first (N1), fifth (N5) and 40th (N40) day after birth, compared with those in maternal serum (MS), umbilical cord (UC) and in adult controls. All three cytokines were significantly elevated in N1 and N5, compared with those in UC and adults (P<0.0001). IL-1β and IL-6 declined significantly from N1 to N40 (P<0.0001), while TNF-α increased significantly from N1 to N5 and declined thereafter. TNF-α values in UC were significantly higher than in adults, but lower than in N40 (P<0.0001), while IL-1β and IL-6 values in UC did not differ from those in N40 and in adults. IL-1β and IL-6, but not TNF-α values in MS were significantly higher than those in controls (P<0.0001). IL-1β values in MS were significantly higher than those in N1 (P<0.0001), while those of IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly lower (P<0.0001). Moreover, IL-1β values were dependent on the mode of delivery in N1 (P<0.001), in MS (P<0.02) and in UC (0.03), while IL-1β and TNF-α values in N1 were strongly interrelated (r=0.7; P<0.01). In conclusion, the increased values of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α during the perinatal period might reflect a newborn immune response to the stress of delivery and to environmental changes after birth.

Section snippets

Introduction — aim

Pregnancy and parturition, like most biologic phenomena, involve the action of cytokines. The inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) have already been found in cells, tissues and fluids associated with pregnancy [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. IL-1β may play an important role in the embryogenesis, development and differentiation of the fetus by regulating the growth and differentiation of tissues and/or organs [2]. Moreover, IL-1β,

Patients and methods

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of our teaching Hospital. Following informed maternal consent, peripheral blood samples were collected from 32 healthy, term neonates (18 females and 14 males), during the first (N1) and the fifth (N5) day after birth. Only in ten, out of the 32 neonates, who lived in the neighbourhood of our Hospital, a third blood sample was obtained 40 (N40) days later. Mean birthweight of the neonates studied was 3322 (range 2400–4380) g and their gestational

Results

Summarized data of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations in the different serum samples are given in Table 1 and their patterns are presented graphically, as median values in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, respectively:

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Significantly elevated cytokine values were found in the neonatal samples N1 and N5, compared to those in cord serum and in adult controls (P<0.0001).
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Neonatal serum values of IL-1β and IL-6 declined significantly from N1 to N40 (P<0.0001), while those of TNF-α increased significantly

Discussion

The new findings of this study are the patterns of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in umbilical cord and in neonatal samples during the first days of life. The values of IL-1β and IL-6 in umbilical cord, not different than in adults, were highly increased on the first day, declining thereafter on the fifth day and returning to adult values 40 days later. TNF-α presented already elevated values in the umbilical cord, compared with those in maternal serum and in controls, with a

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Citation Excerpt :
Extended quality control assays verified that the study protocol by which frozen cell culture supernatants were transported to and analyzed in a central laboratory provided reproducible and comparable cytokine measures in samples from the different study centers.10 Measurement of CB cytokine production after in vitro stimulation ensured that contamination by maternal cytokines did not affect the detected associations.11 Although stimulation assays performed from whole blood samples do not allow an allocation of the measured cytokines to specific cell populations, this method provides a valid overview of cytokine pattern at birth.
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Patterns of inflammatory cytokine serum concentrations during the perinatal period

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction — aim

Patients and methods

Results

Discussion

J Pediatr

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol

Am J Obstet Gynecol

Am J Obstet Gynecol

Obstet Gynecol

Am J Obstet Gynecol

J Nutr

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol

Changes in interleukin -1 levels in human amniotic fluid with gestational ages and delivery

Microbiol Immunol

Amniotic fluid interleukin 6 in preterm labour. Association with infection

J Clin Invest

Measurement of interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-6 in pregnancy associated tissues

Reprod Fertil Develop