Department of Obstetrics, Xuzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Graduate School, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
PLoS One. 2020 Aug 24;15(8):e0237847. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237847. eCollection 2020.
PROM is one of the common complications of perinatal period, which seriously threatens the mother and newborn. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of NLRC4 inflammasomes in this process and their underlying mechanisms. We performed high-throughput RNA sequencing of fetal membrane tissue from 3 normal pregnant women and 3 term-premature rupture of fetal membrane (TPROM) patients who met the inclusion criteria, and found that NLRC4 was significantly up-regulated in TPROM patients. An observational study of TPROM patients (PROM group, n = 30) and normal pregnant women (control group, n = 30) was performed at the Xuzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from May 2018 to May 2019. The expression of genes involved in inflammasome complex including NLRC1, NLRC3, AIM2, NLRC4, ASC, caspase-1, IL-6, IL-18 and IL-1βwas determined via real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Measurement of NLRC4 level in serum was conducted by ELISA assay. The results showed that the NLRC4, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β and IL-18 levels in fetal membrane, placental tissues and maternal serum were markedly higher in the PROM group than that in the control group. In conclusion, NLRC4 is a markedly up-regulated gene in TPROM fetal membrane tissue, suggesting that NLRC4 is involved in the occurrence and development of TPROM; NLRC4 levels in maternal blood serum are closely related to TPROM and have the potential to assist doctors in predicting and diagnosing PROM.
PROM 是围产期的常见并发症之一，严重威胁母婴健康。本研究旨在探讨 NLRC4 炎性小体在这一过程中的作用及其机制。我们对 3 例正常妊娠和 3 例符合纳入标准的足月胎膜早破（TPROM）患者的胎膜组织进行了高通量 RNA 测序，发现 NLRC4 在 TPROM 患者中显著上调。我们对 2018 年 5 月至 2019 年 5 月在徐州医科大学附属徐州妇幼保健院就诊的 TPROM 患者（PROM 组，n = 30）和正常孕妇（对照组，n = 30）进行了观察性研究。通过实时 PCR、免疫组化和免疫荧光检测，确定了参与炎性小体复合物的基因（包括 NLRC1、NLRC3、AIM2、NLRC4、ASC、caspase-1、IL-6、IL-18 和 IL-1β）的表达。通过 ELISA 检测血清中 NLRC4 水平。结果显示，PROM 组胎膜、胎盘组织和母血清中 NLRC4、ASC、caspase-1、IL-1β和 IL-18 水平明显高于对照组。总之，TPROM 胎膜组织中 NLRC4 是明显上调的基因，提示 NLRC4 参与了 TPROM 的发生发展；母血清中 NLRC4 水平与 TPROM 密切相关，具有辅助医生预测和诊断 PROM 的潜力。
