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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

A Murine Model of Fetal Exposure to Maternal Inflammation to Study the Effects of Acute Chorioamnionitis on Newborn Intestinal Development
08:50

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

Antenatal infection/inflammation and fetal tissue injury

Vadivelam Murthy1, Nigel L Kennea

  • 1Neonatal Unit, 1st Floor Lanesborough Wing, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London SW17 0QT, UK.

Best Practice & Research. Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology
|March 17, 2007
PubMed

There is a clear association between antenatal infection/inflammation and preterm labour, with intrauterine infection complicating up to one third of preterm deliveries. In addition to this, there is now accumulating evidence that intrauterine infection and inflammation can lead to the development of a systemic inflammatory response in the fetus and subsequent tissue injury. The fetal inflammatory response is characterized by funisitis, high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the amniotic fluid and cord blood, and systemic immune activation. This review discusses the evidence for this process and focuses on the clinical and experimental data supporting the hypothesis that these inflammatory processes contribute to brain and lung injury in the newborn.

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