title: Differential expression of interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 in human fetal serum and meconium-stained amniotic fluid.
abstract: The study was designed to investigate the expression of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 in meconium-stained amniotic fluid and in fetal cord serum. Amniotic fluid and fetal cord serum specimens were collected from 10 and 9 women with meconium-stained and clear amniotic fluid, respectively, during Caesarean operation at labor The mean concentrations of interleukin-1 beta found in clear and meconium-stained amniotic fluid were 10.0 and 54.5 pg/ml, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the concentrations of interleukin-6 in meconium-stained amniotic fluid (774 pg/ml) was significantly higher than that found in clear amniotic fluid (149 pg/ml) (P = 0.0036). The differences of levels of both interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-6 in fetal cord serum specimens were not significant between neonates born to mothers with either clear or meconium-stained amniotic fluid (P = 0.8702 and 0.2987, respectively). The results of this study suggest that the production of at least one of the inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6, is associated with the meconium found in amniotic fluid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. tth3388@tptsl.seed.net.tw
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Pao
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis*; D008470:Meconium / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6