Abstract：OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the relationship of the cellular immune function and the development of hypoxicischemic encephalopathy(HIE) by examining the levels of T subsets, membrane interleukin-2 receptor(mIL-2R), IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in the peripheral blood of neonates with HIE. METHODS: The subjects included 32 term neonates with HIE and 30 healthy term neonates. The levels of CD3~+, CD4~+, and CD8~+, the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+ and the mIL-2R levels before and after phytohemagglutinin (PHA) inducement were detected by biotin-streptavidin (BSA) on days 1, 3, and 7 after birth. Meanwhile, the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL10 in serum were detected using ELISA. RESULTS: On the 1st day after birth,the levels of CD3~+, CD4~+ and CD8~+ and the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+ in neonates with HIE were significantly lower than those in the normal controls. The mIL-2R levels before or after PHA inducement in HIE neonates were also significantly lower than those of the normal controls. On the 3rd day after birth, the levels of CD3~+, CD4~+ and CD8~+, and the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+ in neonates with HIE remained lower than those in the normal controls. The mIL-2R level increased after PHA inducement in HIE neonates, but was still lower than that in normal controls. On the 7th day after birth, the levels of CD3~+, CD4~+ and CD8~+ in HIE neonates still remained lower than those in normal controls, but the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+ and the mIL-2R level after PHA inducement were similar to those of the normal controls. The changes of T subsets and mIL-2R levels were most marked in neonates with severe HIE, followed by in those with moderate HIE. The serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-10 in neonates with HIE increased significantly compared with those in normal controls on the days 1, 3, and 7 after birth. The increase was associated with the severity of HIE. CONCLUSIONS: Cellular immune function disturbance may exist in neonates with HIE. The expressive levels of cellular immune can be used as markers for early diagnosis of HIE and the evaluation of the severity of brain injury.
