Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
A Neonatal BALB/c Mouse Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Published on: November 30, 2021
Necrotising enterocolitis is characterised by disrupted immune regulation and diminished mucosal regulatory
Jörn-Hendrik Weitkamp1, Tatsuki Koyama, Michael T Rock
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, 2215 B Garland Ave., 1125 MRB IV/Light Hall, Nashville, TN 37232-0656, USA. hendrik.weitkamp@vanderbilt.edu
Background:
Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency in premature infants. Immaturity of gastrointestinal immune regulation may predispose preterm infants to NEC as FOXP3 T regulatory cells (Treg) are critical for intestinal immune homoeostasis.
Objective:
To investigate the hypothesis that abnormal developmental regulation of lamina propria Treg would define premature infants with NEC.
Design:
Lamina propria mononuclear cell populations from surgically resected ileum from 18 patients with NEC and 30 gestational age-matched non-NEC surgical controls were prospectively isolated. Polychromatic flow cytometry was performed to phenotype and analyse lamina propria T cell populations. The cytokine gene expression profile in NEC tissue was compared with that of non-NEC controls.
Results:
The total number of Treg, CD4, or CD8 T cells in each ileum section was independent of gestational age, age or postmenstrual age and similar between patients with NEC and controls. In contrast, the ratio of Treg to CD4 T cells or Treg to CD8 T cells was significantly lower in NEC ileum than in infants without NEC (medians 2.9% vs 6.6%, p=0.001 and medians 6.6% vs 25.9%, p<0.001, respectively). For any given number of CD4 or CD8 T cells, Treg were, on average, 60% lower in NEC ileum than in controls. NEC tissue cytokine gene expression profiles were characteristic of inhibited Treg development or function. Treg/CD4 and Treg/CD8 ratios recovered between initial resection for NEC and reanastomosis.
Conclusion:
The proportion of lamina propria Treg is significantly reduced in the ileum of premature infants with NEC and may contribute to the excessive inflammatory state of this disease.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis
01:25Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
01:23Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells
01:24T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...
01:12Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...