Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 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
Can statins reduce the inflammatory response associated with preterm birth in an animal model?
Sanmaan K Basraon1, Ramkumar Menon, Michel Makhlouf
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Objective:
The objective of the study was to determine the effect of statins on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory response in a mouse model of preterm birth (PTB).
Study Design:
Day 15 CD1 mice were randomly allocated to intraperitoneal LPS injection (100 μg) or control. Mice in the LPS group were pretreated, 16 and 2 hours prior, with pravastatin (10 μg/g), simvastatin (10 μg/g), or vehicle control. Animals were sacrificed 6 hours after LPS. Cytokine messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression in the uterus and cervix, and concentrations in the maternal serum and amniotic fluid (AF) were determined.
Results:
Pravastatin reduced interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression in the uterus and cervix, respectively, and serum IL-1β and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) concentrations. Simvastatin reduced IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expressions in the uterus, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in the cervix, and IL-1β, IL-2, IL-12p70, IL-13, TNF-α, GM-CSF, and interferon-γ concentrations in the serum and IL-6 in AF.
Conclusion:
Statins reduce the LPS-induced inflammatory responses in a mouse model of PTB.
