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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
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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
First-trimester cervical inflammatory milieu and subsequent early preterm birth
Hyagriv N Simhan1, Marijane A Krohn
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|February 10, 2009
Summary
A hyporesponsive cervical inflammatory environment in early pregnancy is linked to a higher risk of early preterm birth. This finding highlights the importance of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine balance for a healthy pregnancy outcome.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive immunology
- Pregnancy complications
- Inflammatory biomarkers
Background:
- Cervical cytokine balance plays a crucial role in maintaining pregnancy.
- Imbalances in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are implicated in preterm birth.
- Early identification of risk factors for preterm birth is critical.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cervical cytokine profiles in early pregnancy and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth.
- To determine if a specific inflammatory balance predicts early preterm delivery.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 218 pregnant women in their first trimester.
- Assay of cervical concentrations of key pro-inflammatory (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) cytokines.
- Categorization of participants into three groups based on cytokine balance: high pro-inflammatory/low anti-inflammatory, high anti-inflammatory/low pro-inflammatory, and balanced.
Main Results:
- Women with a high anti-inflammatory/low pro-inflammatory cervical cytokine profile had a significantly increased odds ratio (7.7) for preterm birth before 34 weeks' gestation.
- This association remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors including marital status, smoking, bacterial vaginosis, maternal race, and education level.
- P = .01 indicated statistical significance.
Conclusions:
- A hyporesponsive cervical inflammatory milieu in early pregnancy is associated with an elevated risk of early spontaneous preterm birth.
- Cervical cytokine balance serves as a potential predictive marker for preterm birth.
- Understanding the inflammatory milieu may lead to novel strategies for preventing preterm birth.
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