The Role of Inflammatory Cytokines in Traumatic Head Injury

Traumatic brain injury is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in <45 years old population in the world. Besides the primary lesions, the secondary process initiated by the direct effect is responsible for mortality and morbidity, and sensitive to the therapy. Both the primary and secondary processes cause the release of cell mediators (proinflammatory cytokines, prostaglandins, free radicals and complement system), expression of adhesion molecules, chemotaxis and transmigration of glial and defence cells. The secretion and production of proinflammatory cytokines after traumatic brain injury has been seen in both human and experimental animal models. The high concentration of interleukin-1, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor and central nervous system cytokines show that they play important role in the post-traumatic pathological process. Finding out what roles they have in the damage process, and stoppping this spontaneous progression thereby reducing the neuronal damage, may be life-saving in the head trauma. (Marmara Medical Journal 2012;25:114-7)