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Updated: Jul 2, 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
Chorioamnionitis and increased galectin-1 expression in PPROM --an anti-inflammatory response in the fetal membranes?
Nandor Gabor Than1, Sung-Su Kim, Asad Abbas
1Perinatology Research Branch, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Wayne State University/Hutzel Women's Hospital, 3990 John R, Box 4, Detroit, MI 48201, USA. nthan@med.wayne.edu
Problem:
Galectin-1 can regulate immune responses upon infection and inflammation. We determined galectin-1 expression in the chorioamniotic membranes and its changes during histological chorioamnionitis.
Method Of Study:
Chorioamniotic membranes were obtained from women with normal pregnancy (n = 5) and from patients with pre-term pre-labor rupture of the membranes (PPROM) with (n = 8) and without histological chorioamnionitis (n = 8). Galectin-1 mRNA and protein were localized by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Galectin-1 mRNA expression was also determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
Galectin-1 mRNA and protein were detected in the amniotic epithelium, chorioamniotic fibroblasts/myofibroblasts and macrophages, chorionic trophoblasts, and decidual stromal cells. In patients with PPROM, galectin-1 mRNA expression in the fetal membranes was higher (2.07-fold, P = 0.002) in those with chorioamnionitis than in those without. Moreover, chorioamionitis was associated with a strong galectin-1 immunostaining in amniotic epithelium, chorioamniotic mesodermal cells, and apoptotic bodies.
Conclusion:
Chorioamnionitis is associated with an increased galectin-1 mRNA expression and strong immunoreactivity of the chorioamniotic membranes; thus, galectin-1 may be involved in the regulation of the inflammatory responses to chorioamniotic infection.
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