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Intrauterine Inflammation, Epigenetics, and Microbiome Influences on Preterm Infant Health

Lei Lu1, Erika C Claud2

  • 11Department of Pediatrics/Neonatology, University of Chicago, 900 E 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637 USA.

Current Pathobiology Reports
|June 26, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Intrauterine infection, epigenetics, and the microbiome significantly impact preterm infant health by altering immune responses. Understanding these factors is crucial for improving outcomes in vulnerable newborns.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal and neonatal health research
  • Microbiome and epigenetics in infant development

Background:

  • The microbiome plays a critical role in perinatal and postnatal health.
  • Intrauterine infection is a major cause of preterm birth with lasting effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review mechanisms linking intrauterine infection, epigenetics, and the microbiome to preterm infant health outcomes.
  • To explore how these factors influence host immune and inflammatory responses.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on intrauterine infection, epigenetics, and microbiome.
  • Analysis of existing studies on epigenetic modifications and host-microbiome interactions.

Main Results:

  • Intrauterine infection alters offspring gene expression, epigenetic programming, and postnatal inflammation.
  • Epigenetic modifications, such as of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), are linked to intrauterine inflammation.
  • A crosstalk exists between the host epigenome and the microbiome.
  • The gut microbiome influences inflammatory pathway maturation, impacting preterm infant development.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm infant outcomes are intricately linked to the modulation of host immune and inflammatory responses.
  • Acute intrauterine infection, epigenetic factors, and the microbiome are key modulators of these responses.
Abstract

Keywords:
Early microbiota and developmentEpigenetic modificationIntrauterine infectionPerinatal immune responsePreterm birth

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