TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels in tracheobronchial lavage of ventilated preterm infants and subsequent lung function.

The role of airway inflammation in ventilated preterm newborns and the risk factors associated with the development of chronic lung disease are not well understood. Our objective was to analyze the association of the airway inflammatory response in ventilated preterm infants by serial measurements of TNF-alpha and IL-10 in tracheobronchial lavage (TBL) with perinatal factors and lung function measured early in life. A series of TBL samples were collected from ventilated preterm infants (less than 32 weeks of gestational age) and concentrations of TNF-alpha and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. Pulmonary function tests were performed after discharge by the raised volume rapid compression technique. Twenty-five subjects were recruited and 70 TBL samples were obtained. There was a significant positive association between TNF-alpha and IL-10 levels and length of time between the rupture of the amniotic membranes and delivery (r = 0.65, P = 0.002, and r = 0.57, P < 0.001, respectively). Lung function was measured between 1 and 22 weeks of corrected age in 10 patients. Multivariable analysis with adjustment for differences in lung volume showed a significant negative association between TNF-alpha levels and forced expiratory flow (FEF(50); r = -0.6; P = 0.04), FEF(75) (r = -0.76; P = 0.02), FEF(85) (r = -0.75; P = 0.03), FEF(25-75) (-0.71; P = 0.02), and FEV(0.5) (r = -0.39; P = 0.03). These data suggest that TNF-alpha levels in the airways during the first days of life were associated with subsequent lung function abnormalities measured weeks or months later.