Maternal and Child Health Research Program, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Reprod Sci. 2011 Sep;18(9):900-7. doi: 10.1177/1933719111398498. Epub 2011 Mar 18.
Maternal fever and/or chorioamnionitis at term are associated with an increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in exposed offspring. Since the mechanisms of such injury are currently unknown, the objectives of this study were to elucidate whether intrauterine inflammation at term results in fetal brain injury. Specifically, we assessed brain injury by investigating the cytokine response, white matter damage, and neuronal injury and viability. A mouse model of intrauterine inflammation at term was utilized by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or normal saline into uterine horn. Compared to saline-exposed, LPS-exposed fetal brains had significantly increased IL-1β and IL-6 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression (P < .05 for both) and IL-6 protein levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; P < 0.05). Fetal neurons were affected by the intrauterine and fetal brain inflammation, as demonstrated by significantly decreased microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) mRNA expression and a decrease in immunocytochemical staining (a marker of neuronal cytoskeleton development; P < .05), altered neuronal morphology (P < 0.05), and delayed neurotoxicity (P < .05). These fetal neuronal changes occurred without overt changes in white matter damage markers. Marker of astrocyte development and astrogliosis (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]) did not show an increase; pro-oligodendrocyte marker (PLP1/DM20) was not significantly changed (P > .05). These studies may provide a critical mechanism for the observed long-term adverse neurobehavioral outcomes after exposure to chorioamnionitis at term.
足月时母体发热和/或绒毛膜羊膜炎与暴露于其中的后代不良神经行为结局的发生率增加有关。由于目前尚不清楚这种损伤的机制,本研究的目的是阐明足月时宫内炎症是否会导致胎儿脑损伤。具体而言,我们通过研究细胞因子反应、白质损伤和神经元损伤和活力来评估脑损伤。通过向子宫角内注射脂多糖(LPS)或生理盐水来建立足月宫内炎症的小鼠模型。与生理盐水暴露组相比,LPS 暴露组胎脑的白细胞介素 1β(IL-1β)和白细胞介素 6(IL-6)信使 RNA(mRNA)表达显著增加(均 P <.05),酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测的 IL-6 蛋白水平也显著增加(P <.05)。宫内和胎脑炎症影响了胎脑神经元,表现为微管相关蛋白 2(MAP2)mRNA 表达显著降低,免疫细胞化学染色减弱(神经元细胞骨架发育的标志物;均 P <.05),神经元形态改变(P <.05),神经毒性延迟(P <.05)。这些胎脑神经元变化在白质损伤标志物无明显变化的情况下发生。星形胶质细胞发育和星形胶质细胞增生的标志物(胶质纤维酸性蛋白[GFAP])没有增加;少突胶质细胞前体标志物(PLP1/DM20)没有显著改变(P >.05)。这些研究可能为在足月时暴露于绒毛膜羊膜炎后观察到的长期不良神经行为结局提供了一个关键的机制。