Association of cord blood cytokines with prematurity and cerebral palsy.
BACKGROUND
Many studies have shown that certain cytokines in amniotic fluids are correlated to premature labor and neonatal brain insults.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether different fetal phagocyte and vascular mediators including IL-8, myeloperoxidase (MPO), PGE(2) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) levels were correlated to prematurity and cerebral palsy (CP) of premature infants.


METHODS
Umbilical cord blood samples from 96 preterm babies from 2250 cord blood collections were studied.


METHODS
The enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) technique was used to determine concentrations of cord blood IL-8, MPO, PGE(2) and sVCAM-1.


RESULTS
Preterm babies with gestational age (GA) < or =32 weeks had significant higher cord blood IL-8, MPO and PGE(2) levels than full-term babies. These mediators, however, were not correlated to gestational age, suggesting that increases of these mediators are more related to preterm delivery but not fetal maturation. Further analysis showed that IL-8, a mediator mainly from monocytes, but not MPO, another mediator mostly from granulocytes, was correlated to cerebral palsy.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, these results suggest that both premature monocytes and granulocytes activation are involved in preterm delivery, but maybe only monocytes activation is correlated to premature infants' cerebral palsy. Selective manipulation of monocytes activation may be useful to prevent premature-related cerebral palsy.
Huang
Hsin-Chun
HC
Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, Chang Gung University at Kaohsiung, No. 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niau-Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan.
Wang
Chih-Lu
CL
Huang
Li-Tung
LT
Chuang
Hau
H
Liu
Chieh-An
CA
Hsu
Te-Yao
TY
Ou
Chia-Yo
CY
Yang
Kuender D
KD
D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000097:blood*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood
D016207:Cytokines; D016209:Interleukin-8; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D009195:Peroxidase; D015232:Dinoprostone