Age-Dependent Levels of Select Immunological Mediators in Sera of Healthy Children

Abstract

Serum cytokine levels were measured in 275 healthy children of different ages (3 to 17 years). Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), soluble IL-2R (sIL-2R) (sCD25), IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), soluble TNF receptor type II (sTNF-RII) (sCD120b), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) (sCD54), soluble E selectin (sE-selectin) (ELAM-1; sCD62E), sCD14, and neopterin were measured with commercial test kits. The mean levels of IL-1RA, sIL-2R, TNF-α, sICAM-1, sE-selectin, and sCD14 were higher than in healthy adults. In contrast, IFN-γ and IL-8 were hardly detectable in children and thereby significantly lower than in adults. In the case of TNF-α, sICAM-1, sE selectin, and sCD14, there was a high interindividual variability, apparently unrelated to disease. The profiles of some cytokines, i.e., IL-1RA, IL-6, and TNF-α, showed age-related increases that overlapped with known patterns of physical growth. Of note, sIL-2R and sE-selectin instead declined with time. Because of the remarkable age-dependent variability in healthy pediatric subjects, disease-related changes, as well as therapy-dependent alterations, should be considered with caution.

Elevated cerebrospinal fluid tumour necrosis factor is associated with acute and long‐term neurocognitive impairment in cerebral malaria

“…that the North American children were healthy at the time of sample collection, we expect plasma levels of TNFα in the North American children would be <50 pg/mL, as in studies of other healthy children from high-income countries, 36,37 and similar to our study's Ugandan CC controls (18-42 pg/mL).…”

Reduced levels of soluble CD14 in atopic children

“…There are few studies investigating sCD14 levels in healthy children, although higher levels of sCD14 in serum of children aged 3-17 years than in adults have been reported [30].…”

Age‐Dependent Decrease in Serum Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)‐Beta 1 in Healthy Japanese Individuals; Population Study of Serum TGF‐Beta 1 Level in Japanese

“…The diagnostic application of the measurement of serum TGF-β1 level depends critically on the control value. The levels of various cytokines in body fluids of healthy individuals change with age [16][17][18], thus, the serum TGF-β1 level of a pediatric patient should not be compared with that of a normal adult as a control value. At present, there is little information regarding the level of plasma/serum TGF-β1 in healthy children [18,19].…”