Correlation between increased levels of serum IL-18 and high frequency of neonatal brain damage

为了阐明高浓度IL-18在早产儿脑瘫发生中的作用，我们使用小鼠P19胚胎癌细胞作为早期神经元分化的模型。在P19细胞分化过程中，观察到第一外显子转录的IL-18mRNA和IL-18前体蛋白的表达增加。然而，外源性成熟IL-18（活性形式）对细胞损伤和神经元分化没有影响。然后我们检测了外源性成熟IL-18是否影响人类未成熟内皮细胞。cDNA微阵列分析显示，多个基因上调或下调，表明成熟IL-18可能靶向未成熟的内皮细胞，导致严重的脑损伤。

To clarify the role of the high concentration of IL-18 to develop cerebral palsy in premature infants, we used mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma cells as a model for early neuronal differentiation. During differentiation of P19 cells, increased expression of IL-18mRNA transcribed from the first exon and IL-18 precursor protein was observed. However, exogenous mature IL-18 (active form) showed no effects on cell damage or neuronal differentiation. We then examined whether exogenous mature IL-18 influences human immature endothelial cells. cDNA microarray analysis showed that several genes were up- or down-regulated, suggesting that mature IL-18 may target immature endothelial cells, resulting in severe brain damages.