EXPRESSION PATTERN OF CYTOKINES IN THE DIFFERENT COMPARTMENTS OF THE FETOMATERNAL UNIT UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS

Concentrations of five cytokines, GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8, were determined within five compartments under four different conditio ns: at the time of a Caesarean section performed between 25 and 38 wee ks' gestational age in normal pregnancy without uterine contraction (n = 12), in normal pregnancy with labour already established (n = 8), i n pregnancy complicated by amniotic infection (n = 11), or under the c onditions of preeclampsia with fetal intrauterine dystrophy (n = 13), cytokine concentrations were determined in fetal arterial and venous b lood, in amniotic fluid, and in retroplacentally obtained maternal blo od and peripheral maternal blood. With dystrophy, the concentrations o f GM-CSF, G-CSF and IL-1 were about 20-50% lower (P < 0.01) in the amn iotic fluid, and IL-6 and IL-8 were elevated in maternal peripheral bl ood (P < 0.01) but not within maternal retroplacental blood. Thus, pre eclampsia/intrauterine dystrophy is characterized by reduction of some cytokines within the amniotic fluid compartment and concomitant react ive augmentations of other cytokines within the maternal and fetal org anism. With amniotic fluid infection, concentrations of G-CSF, IL-6 an d IL-8 were elevated in all compartments (P < 0.002) but GM-CSF and IL -1 showed a significant rise only within amniotic fluid and retroplace ntal maternal blood (P < 0.001), a rise that was apparently not transm itted to peripheral maternal or fetal blood. Care was taken to exclude the presence of uterine contractions in the group of controls, becaus e this condition by itself causes severe elevation of cytokine concent rations, which are pronounced within amniotic fluid.