Table 1.

The overall significance of the selected cytokines in the pathogenesis of abnormalities in central nervous system

Cytokine	Compartment	Clinical significance and association with central nervous system abnormalities
IL-1β	Infant’s vein blood serum	No association with increased risk of abnormal neurological outcome (including IVH) [34]
	Cerebrospinal fluid	Association with increased risk of PHH, irrespective of coexistence of WMI [28]. Association with increased risk of PHH, but not with WMI [27]. No association with increased risk of abnormal neurological outcome (including IVH) [34]
IL-6	Maternal vein blood serum	No association with increased risk of IVH [26]
	Umbilical cord blood	No association with increased risk of IVH [7, 8, 10, 15, 30]
	Infant’s vein blood serum	Association with increased risk of IVH, its severity, and higher neonatal morbidity [13]. Association with abnormalities in CUS only in infants born after or in week 28 of gestational age [34]
	Cerebrospinal fluid	Association with increased risk of PHH, but not with WMI [27]. Association with abnormalities in CUS only in infants born before or in week 28 of gestational age [34]
IL-8	Umbilical cord blood	No association with IVH [15, 26]
	Infant’s vein blood serum	Association with isolated IVH and both IVH and WMI [18]
	Cerebrospinal fluid	Association with increased risk of PHH, but not with WMI [27]
IL-18	Cerebrospinal fluid	Association with posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation [3]
TNF-α	Cerebrospinal fluid	Association with abnormalities in CUS only in infants born before or in week 28 of gestational age [34]. Association with increased risk of PHH, but not with WMI [27]