REDUCED SECRETION OF INTERLEUKIN-1 AND TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA BYNEONATAL MONOCYTES

Monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood of preterm and term newb orn infants and adult controls, and their capacity to secrete the infl ammatory mediators interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alph a (TNF-alpha) was investigated. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated ne onatal monocytes secreted significantly less IL-I (median: 1.1 U/ml) t han monocytes from adult controls (median: 7.3 U/ml). In addition TNF- alpha production by LPS-stimulated neonatal monocytes (median: 610 pg/ ml) was significantly lower when compared with controls (median: 2230 pg/ml). Our data provide evidence that neonatal monocytes have a profo undly impaired cytokine secretion.