Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2026
A Murine Model of Fetal Exposure to Maternal Inflammation to Study the Effects of Acute Chorioamnionitis on Newborn Intestinal Development
Published on: June 24, 2020
Interleukin-6 is neither necessary nor sufficient for preterm labor in a murine infection model
Kazuaki Yoshimura1, Emmet Hirsch
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in a murine model of bacterially induced preterm delivery.
Methods:
On day 14.5 of a 19-20-day gestation, female mice underwent one of two interventions. In experiment 1, pregnant right uterine horns were injected at laparotomy with 0.5-20 microg of recombinant human IL-6 (rhIL-6). In experiment 2, IL-6-deficient (IL-6(-/-)) and wild-type control (IL-6(+/+)) mice underwent intrauterine inoculation with 10(5) to 10(8) heat-killed Escherichia coli organisms. Preterm delivery and maternal survival rates were recorded.
Results:
In experiment 1, doses as high as 20 microg of IL-6 per mouse resulted in up-regulation of acute phase reactants but did not cause preterm delivery or other adverse maternal or fetal effects. In experiment 2, in bacterially inoculated mice, the absence of maternal and fetal IL-6 had no effect on preterm delivery rates.
Conclusion:
IL-6 was neither sufficient nor necessary for preterm delivery in these murine models.
