Intrauterine T-cell activation and increased proinflammatory cytokine concentrations in preterm infants with cerebral lesions

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 358; no. 9294; pp. 1699 - 1700
• Main Authors: Duggan, PJ, Maalouf, EF, Watts, TL, Sullivan, MHF, Counsell, SJ, Allsop, J, Al-Nakib, L, Rutherford, MA, Battin, M, Roberts, I, Edwards, AD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 17-11-2001; Lancet; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Antigens; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Brain; Brain damage; Brain Injuries - blood; Brain Injuries - etiology; Brain injury; Brain research; Cell activation; Cells; Cytokines; Cytokines - blood; Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation; Disorders; Fetal Blood; Gestation; Gestational Age; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Head injuries; Humans; Hypotheses; Hypoxia; Immune response; Immune system; Immunology; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infants; Inflammation; Inflammation - blood; Intensive care; Interleukins; Lesions; Leukocyte Common Antigens - blood; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Neuroimaging; Newborn babies; Predictive Value of Tests; Premature birth; Research ethics; Traumatic brain injury; Tumor necrosis factor; Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 7 - blood; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Tumors; Ultrasonic imaging; United Kingdom > UK; Human; Premature; Nervous system diseases; T cell receptor; Immune response; Cytokine; Inflammation; Enzyme immunoassay; In utero; Cerebral disorder; Newborn; Lesion; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(01)06723-X

Brain injury is common in very preterm infants, and intrauterine infection is a frequent antecedent of preterm birth. We examined the relation of cerebral damage to intrauterine antigen exposure and inflammation in 50 infants who were born at 23–29 weeks' gestation. Higher concentrations of cytokines (tumour necrosis factor α [TNF-α], and interleukins [IL], 1β, 6, and 10) and CD45RO+ T lymphocytes in umbilical blood predicted cerebral lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging very soon after delivery. Our results suggest that infants who mount an immune response in utero are at higher risk of cerebral lesions.