Relationship of interleukin-6 and insulin-like growth factor-1 serum levels with brain damage in neonatal asphyxia.

Objective:To study the changes of interleukin-6(IL-6)and insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) levels and their relation to brain damage in neonatal asphyxia.Methods:Serum concentrations of IL-6 and IGF-1 in 50 newborns with asphyxia and 20 normal neonates were detected by radioimmunoassay on day 1,3,and 7 after parturition.Results:Compared with controls,IL-6 level decreased obviously in asphyxiated newborns in 3 days after parturition (P0.01),but it approached normal level on day 7(P0.05).IGF-1 content in asphyxiated newborns was superior to that in controls in a week after parturition (P0.01).IL-6 level in neonates with brain damage was significantly lower than that without brain damage (P0.05),but IGF-1 content was on the contrary (P0.05).There was a negative correlation between IGF-1 and IL-6(r=-0.638,P0.01).Conclusion:Asphyxiated newborns have an increase of IL-6 level and a decrease of IGF-1 content.Both cytokines could be involved in the pathophysiology of neonatal asphyxia.