The tracking of lipopolysaccharide through the feto‐maternal compartment and the involvement of maternal TLR4 in inflammation‐induced fetal brain injury
AG Brown, ME Maubert, L Anton… - American Journal of …, 2019 - Wiley Online Library
AG Brown, ME Maubert, L Anton, LM Heiser, MA Elovitz
American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 2019•Wiley Online LibraryProblem Exposure to intrauterine inflammation (IUI) has been shown to induce fetal brain
injury and increase the risk of acquiring a neurobehavioral disorder. The trafficking of the
inflammatory mediator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in the pregnant female reproductive tract
in the setting of IUI and the precise mechanisms by which inflammation induces fetal brain
injury are not fully understood. Method of study FITC‐labeled LPS was utilized to induce IUI
on E15, tissues were collected, and fluorescence was visualized via the Spectrum IVIS …
injury and increase the risk of acquiring a neurobehavioral disorder. The trafficking of the
inflammatory mediator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in the pregnant female reproductive tract
in the setting of IUI and the precise mechanisms by which inflammation induces fetal brain
injury are not fully understood. Method of study FITC‐labeled LPS was utilized to induce IUI
on E15, tissues were collected, and fluorescence was visualized via the Spectrum IVIS …
Problem
Exposure to intrauterine inflammation (IUI) has been shown to induce fetal brain injury and increase the risk of acquiring a neurobehavioral disorder. The trafficking of the inflammatory mediator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in the pregnant female reproductive tract in the setting of IUI and the precise mechanisms by which inflammation induces fetal brain injury are not fully understood.
Method of study
FITC‐labeled LPS was utilized to induce IUI on E15, tissues were collected, and fluorescence was visualized via the Spectrum IVIS. Embryo transfer was utilized to create divergent maternal and fetal genotypes. Wild‐type (WT) embryos were transferred into TLR4−/− pseudopregnant dams (TLR4−/−mat/WTfet). On E15, TLR4−/−mat/WTfet dams or their WT controls (WTmat/WTfet) received an intrauterine injection of LPS or phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS). Endotoxin and IL‐6 levels were assessed in amniotic fluid, and cytokine expression was measured via QPCR.
Results
Lipopolysaccharide trafficked to the uterus, fetal membranes, placenta, and the fetus and was undetectable in other tissues. Endotoxin was present in the amniotic fluid of all animals exposed to LPS. However, the immune response was blunted in TLR4−/−mat/WTfet compared with WT controls.
Conclusion
Intrauterine administered LPS is capable of accessing the entire feto‐placental unit with or without a functional maternal TLR4. Thus, bacteria or bacterial byproducts in the uterus may negatively impact fetal development regardless of the maternal genotype or endotoxin response. Despite the blunted immune response in the TLR4‐deficient dams, an inflammatory response is still ignited in the amniotic cavity and may negatively impact the fetus.
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