ABSTRACT
[Objective]To determine the relationship between maternal serum IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-a and CRH levels and preterm labor in asymptomatic women at 24 to 28 weeks' gestation. [Methods] We performed a prospective cohort study from January 2015 to December 2017 for asymptomatic women at 24 to28 weeks' gestation and maternal serum. According to the pregnancy outcome, 100 cases of preterm labor were selected as experimental group and another 100 cases of term labor as control group. The levels of serum IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-a and CRH were measured by ELISA. The partial membranes of all cases were examined pathologically after labor. [Results] The levels of serum IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in preterm labor group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P <0.05). The levels of serum IL-6and IL-8 in preterm labor with chorioamnionitis were significantly higher than those without chorioamnionitis and term labor (P < 0.05). The level of IL-1 in preterm labor without chorioamnionitis was significantly higher than that of term labor (P<0.05). The levels of serum TNF-a and CRH had no difference between the groups (P>0.05). Receiver-operating characteristic curves demonstrated that serum IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 predicted preterm labor. The area under the curve (AUC) of IL-1 was 0.843. The AUC of IL-6 was0.675 and IL-8 was 0.55. [Conclusion] Maternal serum IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in asymptomatic women at24 to 28 weeks' gestation are useful markers for prediction of preterm labor.