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Immune Profiling of Cord Blood From Preterm and Term Infants Reveals Distinct Differences in Pro-Inflammatory
Jeremy Anderson1,2, Cao Minh Thang3, Le Quang Thanh4
1Infection and Immunity, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Insights
Preterm infants have distinct immune system profiles, with lower pro-inflammatory responses, making them susceptible to infections. Understanding these differences is key for developing targeted interventions for vulnerable newborns.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Neonatal Research
- Infectious Disease Susceptibility
Background:
- Preterm infants exhibit heightened vulnerability to infectious diseases.
- Immature immune system development is a key factor contributing to this susceptibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize and compare the immune profiles of preterm and term infants.
- To identify specific immune cell populations and cytokine differences.
Main Methods:
- High-dimensional flow cytometry and cytokine assays were performed on cord blood samples.
- Study included 25 preterm infants (30.4-34.1 weeks gestational age) and 25 term infants (37-40 weeks gestational age).
Main Results:
- Preterm infants showed reduced frequencies of monocytes, CD56bright NK cells, CD8+ T-cells, and γδ T-cells.
- Increased frequencies of intermediate monocytes, CD4+ T-cells, memory T-cells, Tregs, and transitional B-cells were observed in preterm infants.
- Lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A) and certain chemokines, but higher IL-15 and MCP-1, were found in preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in pro-inflammatory immune profiles exist between preterm and term infants.
- These immune profile variations may explain increased infection susceptibility in preterm infants.
- Findings support the development of targeted interventions to protect vulnerable preterm infants.
Background:
Preterm infants are highly vulnerable to infectious disease. While many factors are likely to contribute to this enhanced susceptibility, the immature nature of the preterm immune system is postulated as one key factor.
Methods:
In our study, we used high-dimensional flow cytometry and cytokine assays to characterise the immune profiles in 25 preterm (range: 30.4-34.1 weeks gestational age) and 25 term infant (range: 37-40 weeks gestational age) cord blood samples.
Results:
We found that preterm infants exhibit reduced frequencies of monocytes, CD56bright NK cells, CD8+ T-cells, γδ T-cells and an increased frequency of intermediate monocytes, CD4+ T-cells, central memory CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, Tregs and transitional B-cells compared to term infants. Pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17A were lower in preterm infants in addition to chemokines IL-8, eotaxin, MIP-1α and MIP-1β. However, IL-15 and MCP-1 were higher in preterm infants.
Conclusion:
Overall, we identify key differences in pro-inflammatory immune profiles between preterm and term infants. These findings may help to explain why preterm infants are more susceptible to infectious disease during early life and facilitate the development of targeted interventions to protect this highly vulnerable group.
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