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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Elevation of cytokine concentrations in asphyxiated neonates
Kaoru Okazaki1, Akira Nishida, Masahiko Kato
1Tokyo Metropolitan Hachioji Children's Hospital, Hachioji, and Division of Neonatology, Perinatal Center, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
Various cytokines are reportedly associated with many neonatal diseases. Asphyxia is considered to result in ischemia-reperfusion injuries and induces abnormal inflammatory responses involving excessive cytokine production.
Objectives:
To evaluate alteration in sera levels of various cytokines/chemokines in case of perinatal asphyxia at birth.
Methods:
In order to determine the concentrations of various cytokines/chemokines in sera, we used a highly sensitive fluorescence microsphere method. We measured the concentration of 8 types of cytokines/chemokines in sera obtained from 17 cases of asphyxia, 10 normal neonates, and 6 healthy adults.
Results:
The concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in the sera of asphyxiated neonates were higher than those in the normal neonates. Irrespective of the presence or absence of asphyxia, sera concentrations of IL-2, IL-4, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha were higher in the neonates than those in the adults. The concentration of IFN-gamma in the asphyxiated neonates was lower than that in the normal neonates. Sera levels of IL-10 were higher in the asphyxiated cases than those in the normal neonates. The sera levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in asphyxiated neonates with either a poor outcome or death were higher than those without poor outcomes.
Conclusions:
The concentrations of various types of cytokines/chemokines were different in neonatal sera and some of them increased drastically during asphyxia. The concentration of an anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was elevated in asphyxiated neonates immediately after birth, thereby suggesting that IL-10 might be associated with neuroprotective functions.
