[Effects of selective head cooling with mild hypothermia on serum levels of caspase-3 and IL-18 in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy].

Objective The study examined the changes of serum caspase-3 and IL-8 levels following selective head cooling with mild hypothermia (SHC) treatment in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in order to explore the mechanism of neuroprotection of SHC against HIE.Methods Thirty-three neonates with moderate or severe HIE were randomly assigned to two groups:SHC treatment (n=16) and conventional treatment (n=17).Serum levels of caspase-3 and IL-18 were measured using ELISA before treatment and 24 hrs,48 hrs,72 hrs and 5 days after treatment.Results Serum caspase-3 levels in the SHC group decreased 24 and 48 hrs after treatment (3.8 ± 1.9 and 2.6 ± 1.2 ng/mL,respectively) compared with 6.1 ± 2.3 ng/mL at 24 hrs and 7.2 ± 3.1 ng/mL at 48 hrs in the conventional treatment group (P 0.05).Serum IL-18 levels in the SHC group decreased 24 hrs,48 hrs and 72 hrs after treatment (119 ±30,76 ±33 and 71 ± 40 ng/mL,respectively) compared with those in the conventional treatment group (138 ± 28 ng/mL at 24 hrs,156 ± 60 ng/mL at 48 hrs and 182 ± 54 ng/mL at 72 hrs;P 0.01).Conclusions SHC treatment can inhibit the release of caspase-3 and the expression of IL-18 in neonates with moderate or severe HIE.This may contribute to the neuroprotection of SHC against HIE.