Open Access

ARTICLE

The association of the carrier state of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) ^-308A allele with the duration of oxygen supplementation in preterm neonates

Géza Bokodi¹, András Treszl¹, László Derzbach¹, Ádám Balogh¹, Barna Vásárhelyi²

1 First Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Bókay u. 53, H-1083 Budapest, Hungary
2 Research Group of Pediatrics and Nephrology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences

* Corresponding Author: G. Bokodi MD,

European Cytokine Network 2005, 16(1), 78-80.

Abstract

Background. High levels of inflammatory cytokines lead to lung damage in premature newborns. We investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of innate immunity cytokine genes influence the length of oxygen supplementation. Methods. We genotyped 123 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants for the tumour necrosis factor (TNF)- α G^-308A, interleukin (IL)-1b C³⁹⁵⁴T, IL-6 G^-174C and IL-10 G^-1082A SNPs. Genomic DNA was isolated from remnant dried blood samples from the neonates. We tested the association between SNPs and ventilation characteristics using a stepwise multiple regression analysis model. Results. The carrier state of the TNF-a G^-308A allele was associated with a 40-hour longer period of mechanical ventilation (p=0.004) and, on average, an additional 36 hours of oxygen supplementation (p=0.0008). The association was significant after its adjustment for perinatal risk factors for lung damage. Conclusions. The TNF-α G³⁰⁸A genotype – which is associated with increased TNF-a levels – might influence the supplemental oxygen requirement of VLBW infants.

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