title: The influence of the mode of delivery on circulating cytokine concentrations in the perinatal period.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytokines play an important role during labor and full- or preterm delivery. They influence physical immunity of the fetus-neonate and express a leading role in the perinatal period, being present in maternal and fetal tissues.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether cytokine concentrations in the mother, fetus and neonate depend on the labor and the mode of the delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-eight healthy, non-smoking parturients (mean age 28+/-4, range 21-39 years, delivering vaginally: n=52 or by elective cesarean section: n=26) and their single, healthy, appropriate for gestational age, full-term neonates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We correlated determined circulating levels of IL-2, sIL-2R, IL-4, sIL-4R, IL-6, sIL-6R, IL-1beta, IL-8, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, sTNF RI, sTNF RII and RANTES in the mothers before delivery (MS), the fetuses (UC) and the neonates in days 1 (N1) and 4 (N4) of life, with the mode of delivery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  sIL-2R in N1 and N4, sIL-4R in MS, IL-6 in MS and UC, IL-1beta in MS, UC and N1, IFN-gamma in MS and UC, TNF-alpha in UC, N1 and N4, sTNF RI in UC were significantly higher in cases of vaginal delivery than in cases of elective cesarean section (p ranging from 0.0005 to 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vaginal delivery promotes the production of various cytokines and their receptors, which are implicated in neonatal immunity.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Division, 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, 19 Soultani Str, GR-10682 Athens, Greece. malamitsi@aias.gr
authors.forename: Ariadne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malamitsi-Puchner
authors.forename: Efthimia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Protonotariou
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boutsikou
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Makrakis
authors.forename: Angeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarandakou
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Creatsas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D018743:Perinatal Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D016207:Cytokines; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II