Interleukin-18 and interleukin-12 in maternal serum and spontaneous preterm delivery.
J Reprod Immunol
; 77(2): 179-85, 2008 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17850880
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Mice disrupted for the interleukin (IL)-18 gene appear more disposed to preterm delivery (PTD) induced by inflammation. A synergy between IL-18 and IL-12 has been suggested. The objective of this study was to investigate a possible relation between human maternal serum levels of IL-18, IL-12 and spontaneous PTD. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
A cohort of 93 consecutive women with symptoms of threatening PTD on admission was enrolled at the delivery ward, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.MEASURES:
Serum IL-18 and IL-12 measured using Luminex xMAP technology. Endpoint PTD before 34 weeks gestation.RESULTS:
Pregnant women admitted with symptoms of threatening PTD and delivering before 34 weeks of gestation had significantly lower levels of IL-18 compared to women delivering at or after 34 weeks of gestation (medians 14.5 versus 26.6 pg/ml; p=0.035). IL-12 levels were not different in women delivering before or after 34 weeks of gestation. Patients having low IL-18 (below the 25-percentile) and high IL-12 (above the 75-percentile) had a twofold increase in risk of delivering before 34 weeks of gestation (RR 2.1 [1.7-2.6]).CONCLUSION:
Results from this study indicate, that low serum IL-18 level could be associated with PTD in women with symptoms of PTD. A possible interaction between IL-18 and IL-12 was found, as the risk of delivering before 34 weeks is increased with the combination of low IL-18 and high IL-12, but further studies are warranted to investigate these interleukins and their possible role in PTD.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Interleukin-12
/
Interleukin-18
/
Obstetric Labor, Premature
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
J Reprod Immunol
Year:
2008
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Denmark