Relationship of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α with apoptosis of nerve cells in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage at different time points

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the association of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) with the apoptosis of nerve cells in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods A total of 48 patients with cerebral hemorrhage were enrolled and their clinical data were collected. The expression of IL-1β and TNF-α at different time points in brain tissues around hematoma was assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. The apoptosis of nerve cells was measured by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. Results The expression of IL-1β reached the peack by 0-24 h (0.819±0.109), and that of TNF-α transcripts by 13-48 h (0.529±0.083), which were confirmed by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. Apoptotic nerve cells were detected by TUNEL assays with a peak at 13-48 h (68.3±13.6) after intracerebral hemorrhage, paralleling and overlapping with the peak expression of TNF-α and IL-1β. The apoptosis of nerve cells was positively correlated with the levels of TNF-α (r=0.376) and IL-1β (r=0.954). Conclusion The expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in hematoma surrounding the brain tissue is correlated with the apoptosis of nerve cells. Key words: Interleukin-1β; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Intracerebral hemorrhage; Nerve cells