TY  - EJOU
AU  - Keski-Nisula, Leea 
AU  - Roponen, Marjut 
AU  - Hirvonen, Maija-Riitta 
AU  - Heinonen, Seppo 
AU  - Pekkanen, Juha 

TI  - Stimulated cytokine production correlates in umbilical arterial and venous blood at delivery
T2  - European Cytokine Network

PY  - 2004
VL  - 15
IS  - 4
SN  - 1952-4005

AB  - Background. Umbilical venous blood is easy to obtain after delivery, and thus has been commonly
used in many studies for cytokine analysis. Our aim was to evaluate whether or not induced cytokine production
differs after stimulation in umbilical artery and vein whole blood samples, using two different stimulation
protocols. The effect of such stimulation on fetal and maternal blood was also evaluated. Methods. – Blood samples
from umbilical artery (UA) and vein (UV), and from the mother were collected from 23 women after delivery at
term. Concentrations of cytokines (IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-6 and TNF-α) were measured in plasma and whole blood after
PMA/ConA and PMA/ionomycin stimulation. Results. Both in maternal and in fetal samples, cytokine concen-trations
in unstimulated plasma samples were lower than in stimulated samples, except for IL-4 after PMA/ConA
stimulation. UA and UV showed similar, average cytokine levels after stimulation and the correlations were high
(r=0.68–0.95). Cytokine concentrations were clearly higher in umbilical blood than in maternal blood after
stimulation, but not in plasma. Correlations between maternal and umbilical samples after stimulation were
generally low (r<0.41). IFN-γ was not detectable in unstimulated plasma samples. The production of IL-4 and
IFN-γ was more intense after PMA/ionomycin stimulation than after PMA/ConA stimulation. Interpretation of
the results. – Concentrations of the cytokines examined are similar in blood from the UA and UV. For IL-4 and
IFN-γ, the stimulant used has a significant effect on the level of cytokine expression, and interestingly, the effect
is more pronounced on the fetal than on the maternal side.
KW  - birth
KW  -  blood
KW  -  cytokine
KW  -  umbilical cord

DO  -