Detection and clinical significance of IL-18 and neuron-specific enolase in serum of newborns with Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Objective To study the changes of serum concentrations of Interleukin-18(IL-18)and Neuron-specific enolase(NSE)in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE),the correlation between IL-18 and NSE,and between IL-18 and NSE and neonatal behavioral neurological assessment(NBNA),and clinical significance.Methods Thirty-three term newborns with HIE were assigned into three groups,mild HIE group(n=9),moderate HIE group(n=15)and severe HIE group(n=9).Twenty term normal newborns were served as control group.Serum concentrations of IL-18 and NSE were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results Serum concentrations of IL-18 and NSE in infants with moderate and severe HIE were significantly higher than those in control group(P0.01).Both serum IL-18 and NSE concentrations were associated with the severity of HIE except the mild group(P0.01).Severe HIE newborns had the highest serum IL-18 and NSE levels,followed by moderate HIE newborns.Serum concentrations of IL-18 and NSE in moderate and severe HIE neonates in recovery period were significantly lower than those in acute period(P0.01,0.05).In acute period,the more severe clinical situation,the more IL-18 in the serum,and there was a significant positive correlation between IL-18 and NSE(r=0.832,P=0.000),there was a significant negative correlation between IL-18 and NBNA(r=-0.557,P=0.001),and there was a negative correlation between NSE and NBNA(r=-0.496,P=0.003).Conclusion The levels of IL-18 and NSE in moderate and severe HIE infants were approximately higher than those in control group,and they were identical with the severity of HIE,so they may be useful markers for the diagnosis of HIE.The measurement of IL-18 and NSE will be very important to the early diagnosis and judgment of therapeutic efficacy.