Fas-ligand and interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid are early predictors of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and long-term outcomes after birth asphyxia in term infants

BACKGROUND: Cerebral ischemia generates neuroinflammation that can induce neural cell death. This cohort study assessed whether Fas-ligand (FasL) and interleukin (IL)-6 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can serve as biomarkers of hypoxic brain injury in neonates. METHODS: Term infants (> 37-week gestational age) who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Karolinska University Hospital in years 2002 to 2004 with perinatal asphyxia were enrolled prospectively. Control infants without brain pathology underwent lumbar puncture for suspected infection. FasL and IL-6 levels were measured in the CSF, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. All patients underwent neurological assessment at 18 months. HIE was classified as mild, moderate, or severe (HIE I–III). Adverse neurological outcome at 18 months was defined as a mental developmental index < 85, deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, or seizure disorder. RESULTS: Of the 44 HIE patients, 14, 16, and 14 had HIE-I, HIE-II, and HIE-III, respectively. HIE-II and HIE-III patients had higher FasL and IL-6 levels than HIE-I patients and the 20 controls (all p < 0.0001). Patients with adverse outcomes had higher FasL and IL-6 levels than patients with normal outcomes and controls (both p < 0.0001). On receiver-operator curve analyses, FasL and IL-6 (alone and together) were highly predictive of HIE grade and outcome (areas under the curve range 0.86–0.94) and showed high sensitivity (66.7–100%). These biomarkers performed better than cord blood pH (areas under the curve: HIE grade = 0.80, adverse outcomes = 0.86). CONCLUSION: CSF biomarkers FasL and IL-6 predicted severity of encephalopathy and long-term outcomes in post-asphyxiated infants better than a standard biomarker. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12974-018-1253-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.