Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Amniotic Fluid Interleukin-1β and Interleukin-8 Concentrations: Racial Disparity in Preterm Birth

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Reproductive Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the racial differences between interleukin (IL)—1 β and IL-8 concentrations in the amniotic fluid of black and white women with spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). In this study, 350 amniotic fluid samples were collected: 165 PTB cases (<36 weeks’ gestation; 52 blacks and 113 whites) and 185 controls (normal term delivery > 37 weeks’ gestation; 87 blacks and 98 whites). Amniotic fluid IL-1 β and IL-8 concentrations were measured by immunoassay. Wilcoxon nonparametric test was performed for statistical analysis. In data stratified by race, the median IL-1 β concentration was significantly higher in black cases (80 pg/mL) compared to black controls (23.7 pg/mL; P <.0001), and the difference was nonsignificant in white cases (25.5 pg/mL) compared to white controls (21.3 pg/mL; P =.1). IL-8 concentration was not higher in black cases (742.2 pg/mL) compared to black controls (731.4 pg/mL; P =.9), whereas it was higher in white cases (1362.3 pg/mL) compared to white controls (533.5 pg/mL; P =.0005). Between races, IL-1 β was significantly higher in blacks (P <.0001) than in whites in PTB, whereas no significant difference was noticed in IL-8 concentration between races (P =.1). In PTB, the cytokine footprint differs in the amniotic fluid between racial groups. IL-1 β is higher in black and IL-8 in white PTB. These differences in the amniotic fluid cytokine concentration might not explain the racial disparity in the PTB rate, but they are suggestive of different processes of PTB in whites and blacks.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lu MC, Halfon N. Racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes: a life-course perspective. Matern Child Health J. 2003; 7:13–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Foster HW, Wu L, Bracken MB, et al. Intergenerational effects of high socioeconomic status on low birthweight and preterm birth in African Americans. J Nat Med Assoc. 2000;92:213–221.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lu MC, Halfon N. Racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes: a life-course perspective. Matern Child Health J. 2003; 7:13–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Fiscella K. Race, genes and preterm delivery. J Natl Med Assoc. 2005;97:1516–1526.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Fiscella K. Racial disparities in preterm births: the role of urogenital infections. Public Health Rep. 1996;111:104–113.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Fortunato SJ, Lombardi, SJ, Menon R. Racial disparity in membrane response to infectious stimuli: a possible explanation for observed differences in the incidence of prematurity. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;190:1557–1563.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Menon R, Merialdi M, Lombardi SJ, Fortunato SJ. Racial differences in the placental membrane cytokine response: a possible explanation for the ethnic disparity in prematurity. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2006;56:112–118.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gomez R, Ghezzi F, Romero R, Munoz H, Tolosa JE, Rojas I. Premature labor and intra-amniotic infection: clinical aspects and role of the cytokines in diagnosis and pathophysiology. Clin Perinatol. 1995;22:281–342.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Mitchell MD, Trautman MS, Dudley DJ. Immunoendocrinology of preterm labour and delivery. Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 1993;7:553–575.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Romero R, Mazor M, Brandt F, et al. Interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-1 beta in preterm and term human parturition. Am J Reprod Immunol. 1992;27:117–123.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Mitchell MD, Edwin S, Romero RJ. Prostaglandin biosynthesis by human decidual cells: effects of inflammatory mediators. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1990;41:35–38.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Romero R, Mazor M, Tartakovsky B. Systemic administration of interleukin-1 induces preterm parturition in mice. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991;165:969–971.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Romero R, Tartakovsky B. The natural interleukin-1 receptor antagonist prevents interleukin-1-induced preterm delivery in mice. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1992;167:1041–1045.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Romero R, Ceska M, Avila C, Mazor M, Behnke E, Lindley I. Neutrophil attractant/activating peptide-1/interleukin-8 in term and preterm parturition. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991;165: 813–820.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Cherouny PH, Pankuch GA, Romero R, et al. Neutrophil attractant/activating peptide-1/interleukin-8: association with histologic chorioamnionitis, preterm delivery, and bioactive amniotic fluid leukoattractants. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1993;169: 1299–1303.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Rizzo G, Capponi A, Vlachopoulou A, Angelini E, Grassi C, Romanini C. The diagnostic value of interleukin-8 and fetal fibronectin concentrations in cervical secretions in patients with preterm labor and intact membranes. J Perinat Med. 1997; 25:461–468.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Jacobsson B, Mattsby-Baltzer I, Hagberg H. Interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 in cervical and amniotic fluid: relationship to microbial invasion of the chorioamniotic membranes. BJOG. 2005;112:719–724.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Rosenberg NA, Pritchard JK, Weber JL, et al. Genetic structure of human populations. Science. 2002;298:2381–2385.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Duff P, Sanders R, Gibbs RS. The course of labor in term patients with chorioamnionitis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1983; 147:391–395.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Newton ER. Chorioamnionitis and intraamniotic infection. Clin Obstet Gynecol. 1993;36:795–808.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Gardella C, Riley DE, Hitti J, Agnew K, Krieger JN, Eschenbach D. Identification and sequencing of bacterial rDNAs in culture-negative amniotic fluid from women in premature labor. Am J Perinatol. 2004;21:319–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Hitti J, Riley DE, Krohn MA, et al. Broad-spectrum bacterial rDNA polymerase chain reaction assay for detecting amniotic fluid infection among women in preterm labor. Clin Infect Dis. 1997;24:1228–1232.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Nugent RP, Krohn MA, Hillier SL. Reliability of diagnosing bacterial vaginosis is improved by a standardized method of gram stain interpretation. J Clin Microbiol. 1991;29:297–301.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Klein LL, Gibbs RS. Use of microbial cultures and antibiotics in the prevention of infection-associated preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;190:1493–1502.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Casey ML, Brown CE, Peters M, Macdonald PC. Endothelin levels in human amniotic fluid at mid-trimester and at term before and during spontaneous labor. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993;76:1647–1650.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Macdonald PC, Casey ML. The accumulation of prostaglandins (PG) in amniotic fluid is an aftereffect of labor and not indicative of a role for PGE2 or PGF2 alpha in the initiation of human parturition. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993; 76:1332–1339.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Romero R, Gonzalez R, Baumann P, et al. Topographic differences in amniotic fluid concentrations of prostanoids in women in spontaneous labor at term. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1994;50:97–104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Simhan HN, Caritis SN, Krohn MA, Martinez de Tejada B, Landers DV, Hillier SL. Decreased cervical proinflammatory cytokines permit subsequent upper genital tract infection during pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003;189:560–567.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Genc MR, Vardhana S, Delaney ML, Witkin SS, Onderdonk AB, The MAP Study Group. TNFA-308G>A polymorphism influences the TNF-alpha response to altered vaginal flora. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. Epub ahead of print, November 21, 2006.

  30. Genc MR, Onderdonk AB, Vardhana S, et al, Map Study. Group. Polymorphism in intron 2 of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene, local midtrimester cytokine response to vaginal flora, and subsequent preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;191:1324–1330.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Macones GA, Parry S, Elkousy M, Clothier B, Ural SH, Strauss JF III. A polymorphism in the promoter region of TNF and bacterial vaginosis: preliminary evidence of gene-environment interaction in the etiology of spontaneous preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2004;190:1504–1508.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Velez DR, Menon R, Thorsen P, Jiang L, Simhan H, Morgan N, Fortunato SJ, Williams SM. Allelic and genotypic frequency variations in the IL-6 and IL-6R genes documents ethnic disparity in preterm birth. Ann Hum Genet. 2007 Mar 7; [Epub ahead of print].

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perinatal Research Center, 2300 Patterson Street, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203, USA

    Ramkumar Menon MS & Stephen J. Fortunato MD

  2. North Atlantic Neuro-epidemiology Alliances, Institute for Public Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Ramkumar Menon MS

  3. Department of Medicine and Center for Human Genetics Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Scott M. Williams PhD

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Stephen J. Fortunato MD

Authors
  1. Ramkumar Menon MS
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Scott M. Williams PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stephen J. Fortunato MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ramkumar Menon MS.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Menon, R., Williams, S.M. & Fortunato, S.J. Amniotic Fluid Interleukin-1β and Interleukin-8 Concentrations: Racial Disparity in Preterm Birth. Reprod. Sci. 14, 253–259 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719107301336

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719107301336

Key words

Search

Navigation