Leukemia inhibitory factor: association with intraamniotic infection.

OBJECTIVE

Our purpose was to investigate whether leukemia inhibitory factor is associated with intraamniotic infection.

STUDY

DESIGN

A comparative clinical study of amniotic fluid leukemia inhibitory factor concentrations was performed.

RESULTS

Leukemia inhibitory factor was undetectable (< 1 ng/ml) by radioreceptor assay during normal pregnancy at midtrimester and at term. Among women in labor those with intraamniotic infection had higher leukemia factor concentrations than those without infection before term (p < 0.001) and at term (p < 0.005). The leukemia inhibitory factor concentrations correlated with the amniotic fluid white blood cell counts (r = 0.47) (p < 0.001). In cultured human gestational tissue explants, leukemia inhibitory factor release was significantly enhanced by endotoxin, interleukin-1 alpha, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha however, leukemia inhibitory factor did not enhance the release of prostaglandin E2 by these tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

Amniotic fluid leukemia inhibitory factor concentrations were elevated during intraamniotic infection and gestational tissues released leukemia inhibitory factor in response to bacterial products and inflammatory mediators.