INCREASED INTERLEUKIN-12 LEVELS IN HUMAN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID FOLLOWING SEVERE HEAD TRAUMA

An overwhelming intracranial inflammatory response occurs as a consequ ence of severe head trauma, leading to cerebral edema and secondary br ain injury. Cytokines are important mediators of post-traumatic cerebr al inflammation. In the present study, levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12 ), a pro-inflammatory cytokine which activates cellular immune respons e mechanisms, were measured by ELISA in 140 matched serum and ventricu lar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from ten patients with severe tr aumatic brain injury. The mean IL-12 CSF levels were significantly ele vated in all patients in the course of 14 days after trauma, compared to CSF samples from 15 control patients. Assessment of the IL-12 CSF/s erum ratio and of the blood-brain barrier function, using the CSF/seru m albumin ratio, suggest that elevated IL-12 CSF levels might be in pa rt derived from intracerebral cytokine synthesis. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.