Increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha production after lipopolysaccharide stimulation of whole blood in patients with previous preterm delivery complicated by intra-amniotic infection or inflammation.
OBJECTIVE
To compare cytokine production after lipopolysaccharide stimulation of whole blood from women who were delivered of infants at term compared with women who were delivered of preterm infants with intra-amniotic evidence of infection or inflammation.


METHODS
Whole blood samples from 12 women who were not pregnant and who had previously had preterm deliveries before 32 weeks complicated by intra-amniotic infection or inflammation and samples from 12 age- and race-matched control subjects were stimulated with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 levels were quantified at 6 hours and interleukin-10 at 24 hours by enzyme immunoassay. Results were compared with use of the Wilcoxon rank sum test.


RESULTS
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha production was significantly higher in whole blood from women with histories of a preterm birth and intra-amniotic infection or inflammation (11,243 +/- 1030 pg/mL [mean +/- SEM]) compared with control subjects (3649 +/- 349 pg/mL) at a lipopolysaccharide concentration of 1 microg/mL (P =.002). There were no significant differences in interleukin-6 or interleukin-10 production.


CONCLUSIONS
Women with previous early preterm deliveries who had evidence of intra-amniotic infection or inflammation had significantly higher tumor necrosis factor-alpha production after lipopolysaccharide stimulation of whole blood compared with women with previous term deliveries.
Amory
J H
JH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, USA.
Hitti
J
J
Lawler
R
R
Eschenbach
D A
DA
D000328:Adult; D000650:Amnion / Q000382:microbiology; D001769:Blood / Q000187:drug effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000150:complications*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D012016:Reference Values; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism
D015850:Interleukin-6; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10