Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of erythropoietin(EPO)as a brain-protective factor and inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy(CP).Methods Serum samples from 31 CP patients,37 neonates with CP risk factors such as hypoxic-ischemic injury and/or perinatal infection,and 20 controls of neonates or children were obtained respectively.EPO,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-6 levels were measured with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay double sandwich method(ABC-ELISA).Results The serum EPO level of neonatal patients was higher than that of controls or CP group(P<0.01),but there was no significant difference between CP group and controls.The serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels of CP and neonatal patients were higher than that in controls(P<0.01).The serum TNF-α level of CP group was higher than that of neonatal patients(P<0.05).There was no significant difference between CP group and neonatal patients in serum IL-6 level.Conclusion The inflammatory responses mediated by proinflammatory cytokines may play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy.

Key words: cerebral palsy, erythropoietin(EPO), inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor(TNF), interleukin(IL), neuro-immune-endocrine network