Clinical Significance of Newborn Gastric Inflammatory Mediators.

Kim,  Young Don; Shim,  Soon Sup; Kang,  Hye Sim; Maeng,  Young Hee

doi:2016.23.1.16

Neonatal Med > Volume 23(1); 2016 > Article

Original Article

Neonatal Medicine 2016;23(1):16-22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5385/nm.2016.23.1.16 Published online February 29, 2016.

Clinical Significance of Newborn Gastric Inflammatory Mediators.

Young Don Kim, Soon Sup Shim, Hye Sim Kang, Young Hee Maeng

¹Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea. cardios@hanmail.net
²Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea.
³Department of Pathology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
We performed this study to determine (1) whether the levels of inflammatory mediators, including matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and intercellular adhesion molecule-3 (ICAM-3), in gastric fluid (GF) in premature newborns are associated with those in amniotic fluid (AF) in their mothers and (2) whether the levels of the inflammatory mediators in newborn GF are associated with the presence of intrauterine inflammation (IUI).
METHODS
Sixty-two pairs of pregnant women and their premature newborns born at <35 weeks' gestation by cesarean delivery were enrolled in this study. AF and newborn GFs were obtained during cesarean section procedures. Levels of MMP-9, ICAM-3, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured and compared between the AF and newborn GFs in each dyad, according to the presence or absence of chorioamnionitis (CA), preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM), and preterm labor (PTL).
RESULTS
The levels of MMP-9, ICAM-3, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in newborn GF were significantly correlated with those in AF in each dyad. The premature newborns and their mothers with CA had significantly higher GF MMP-9, IL-8, and TNF-alpha levels than those without CA. Those with PPROM or PTL showed similar findings in terms of GF MMP-9, IL-8, and TNF-alpha levels.
CONCLUSION
The newborn GF immediately after birth can be a useful alternative source of information on whether a premature infant has been exposed to IUI at the time of delivery.

Key Words: Inflammation; Chorioamnionitis; Premature infants; Gastric fluid; Matrix metalloproteinase; Intercellular adhesion molecule