N. Laham et al., INTERLEUKIN-8 CONCENTRATIONS IN AMNIOTIC-FLUID AND PERIPHERAL VENOUS PLASMA HUMAN-PREGNANCY AND PARTURITION, Acta endocrinologica, 129(3), 1993, pp. 220-224
To establish the gestational and labour-associated changes in interleu
kin 8 (IL-8) release, we have determined the concentration of this cyt
okine in maternal peripheral plasma and amniotic fluid from 15 weeks o
f gestation to term and in association with spontaneous-onset labour a
t term and preterm. No statistically significant changes in peripheral
plasma IL-8 concentration were observed during pregnancy or in associ
ation with labour onset (mean concentration 56.5 +/- 14.5 ng/l, N = 64
). The IL-8 concentrations in amniotic fluid were up to 50-fold greate
r than those observed in peripheral plasma (p<0.05) and increased sign
ificantly (p<0.05) during pregnancy. At term, but before the onset of
labour, amniotic fluid concentrations of IL-8 averaged 969.2 +/- 553.5
ng/l (N = 12). In association with labour at term. IL-8 concentration
s increased to 3895.8 +/- 1414.4 ng/l (N = 6, p<0.03). The concentrati
on of IL-8 in amniotic fluid obtained from women in preterm labour ave
raged 18 54.7 +/- 1352.6 ng/l (N = 6) but was not statistically differ
ent from the concentration of IL-8 in amniotic fluid obtained from ges
tational aged-matched non-labouring controls. Although the precise rol
e of intrauterine IL-8 at the time of parturition awaits elucidation,
these data support the concept that this cytokine may be involved in t
he biochemical events associated with the onset and/or propagation of
normal labour in the human.