Detection of inflammatory cytokines by skin blotting as an objective measure of neonatal skin problems

Abstract

　In this study, we examined whether the detection of inflammatory cytokines in the skin of newborns by skin blotting can serve as an objective measure of skin problems. We compared the detection strengths of albumin and inflammatory cytokines（interleukin（IL）-1α, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor（TNF）-α）obtained using transepidermal water loss values or skin blotting of rash-presenting and non-rash-presenting neonatal skin, and found that the detection strengths of IL-6 and TNF-α inflammatory cytokines were significantly higher（p<0.05）in skin with rashes than in that without. Furthermore, the cut-off values for the detection of skin problems were 2.77μg and 8.15μg for IL-6 and TNF-α, respectively. Both of these cut-off values had a sensitivity of 0.86, a specificity of 1.00, and an area under the curve of 0.92. These findings suggest that the detection of IL-6 and TNF-α by skin blotting may serve as an objective measure of skin problems in newborns.