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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
Chronic Inflammation Offers Hints About Viable Therapeutic Targets for Preeclampsia and Potentially Related Offspring
Jaya Prasad1, Juliette Van Steenwinckel2, Alistair J Gunn1
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Insights
Systemic inflammation during pregnancy, linked to preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, may offer therapeutic targets for preventing neurodevelopmental deficits in offspring. Further research is needed to translate findings into child health benefits.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Neonatology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Preeclampsia involves hypertension and systemic inflammation during pregnancy.
- This condition often co-occurs with fetal growth restriction and shortened gestational length.
- These factors may impact offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mechanistic and clinical evidence on inflammation in preeclampsia.
- To explore inflammation-related phenomena as potential therapeutic targets.
- To discuss the link between pregnancy disorders and offspring neurodevelopmental deficits.
Main Methods:
- Literature review integrating mechanistic studies and clinical evidence.
- Discussion of potential therapeutic targets for preeclampsia and offspring sequelae.
- Emphasis on the need for hypothesis-driven observational studies.
Main Results:
- Systemic inflammation is a key feature of preeclampsia and correlates with adverse outcomes.
- Inflammation during pregnancy may contribute to neurodevelopmental problems in offspring.
- Translating mechanistic insights into clinical practice requires further investigation.
Conclusions:
- Sustained or intermittent systemic inflammation may indicate viable therapeutic targets for preeclampsia.
- Addressing inflammation could potentially mitigate neurobehavioral and developmental deficits in offspring.
- Carefully designed observational studies are crucial for translating research into child health benefits.
Abstract:
The combination of hypertension with systemic inflammation during pregnancy is a hallmark of preeclampsia, but both processes also convey dynamic information about its antecedents and correlates (e.g., fetal growth restriction) and potentially related offspring sequelae. Causal inferences are further complicated by the increasingly frequent overlap of preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and multiple indicators of acute and chronic inflammation, with decreased gestational length and its correlates (e.g., social vulnerability). This complexity prompted our group to summarize information from mechanistic studies, integrated with key clinical evidence, to discuss the possibility that sustained or intermittent systemic inflammation-related phenomena offer hints about viable therapeutic targets, not only for the prevention of preeclampsia, but also the neurobehavioral and other developmental deficits that appear to be overrepresented in surviving offspring. Importantly, we feel that carefully designed hypothesis-driven observational studies are necessary if we are to translate the mechanistic evidence into child health benefits, namely because multiple pregnancy disorders might contribute to heightened risks of neuroinflammation, arrested brain development, or dysconnectivity in survivors who exhibit developmental problems later in life.
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