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Cytokine profiling in healthy children shows association of age with cytokine concentrations.

  • Decker ML Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology Unit, University of Basel Children's Hospital, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Gotta V Paediatric Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, University of Basel Children's Hospital, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Wellmann S Neonatology Unit, University of Basel Children's Hospital (UKBB), 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Ritz N Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology Unit, University of Basel Children's Hospital, 4056, Basel, Switzerland. nicole.ritz@unibas.ch.
  • 2017-12-21
Published in:
  • Scientific reports. - 2017
Chemokine CXCL10
Child
Child, Preschool
Cytokines
Female
Humans
Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein
Male
Tuberculosis
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
English Cytokine-based diagnostic assays are increasingly used in research and clinical practice. Assays developed for adults such as the interferon-gamma release assay for tuberculosis show inferior performance in children. Limited evidence suggests that release of cytokines is influenced by age but normal ranges of cytokines in children are lacking. Whole blood of healthy children (0-12 years) undergoing elective/diagnostic procedures was stimulated with SEB, PHA, Candida albicans for 24 hours or left unstimulated. Concentrations of eight cytokines were measured by multiplex bead-based immunoassays and associations with age and other factors quantified by regression analysis. 271 children (median age 5.2 years) were included. In unstimulated samples IL-1ra, IP-10 and TNF-α concentrations decreased by up to -60% with age. Following antigen stimulation, an age-associated increase (ranging from +90% to +500%) was observed for all cytokines except IL-1ra (significant for IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α). Inter-individual variability in cytokine concentrations was large with a coefficient of variation ranging from 42% to 1412%. Despite inter-individual variation age was identified as a strong influencing factor of cytokine concentrations. Age-specific normal values need to be considered for cytokine-based diagnostic purposes. These results are relevant for development of novel cytokine-based diagnostic assays and for optimal dosing of therapeutic agents targeting cytokines.
Language
  • English
Open access status
gold
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/232589
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