Abstract
Preterm birth is one of the main health problems encountered in the neonatal period, especially because it is also the first cause of death in the critical 1st month of life and the second in children under 5 years of age. Not only preterm birth entails short term health risks due to low weight and underdeveloped organs, but also increases the risk of suffering from non-transmissible diseases in the long term. To date, it is known that medical conditions and lifestyle factors could increase the risk of preterm birth, but the molecular mechanisms that control this process remain unclear. Luteolysis, increased inflammation or oxidative stress have been described as possible triggers for preterm birth and, in some cases, the cause of dysbiosis in preterm neonates. Several murine models have been developed to shed light into the mechanistic of preterm birth but, for the most part, are inflammation-based labor induction models and the offspring health readouts are mainly limited to survival and weight. Using a set of SWISS-CD1 mice born prematurely we analyzed inflammation and gut permeability parameters compared with term pups at weaning age. Overall, preterm mice presented higher systemic inflammation and gastrointestinal tract permeability. In this perspective article, we discuss the recent discoveries on preterm birth and the necessity of non-inflammatory murine models to really understand these phenotypes and be able to design strategies to prevent the sequels of this traumatic event in neonates.
Highlights
PRETERM BIRTH EFFECT ON INFANT HEALTH AND GUT DYSBIOSISPreterm birth is defined by the World Health Organization as any birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation
Preterm babies are exposed to external microorganisms and insults with an immature immune and physiological status
Preterm infant’s microbiota differs dramatically from that of term infants (Henderickx et al, 2019). These facts increase the risk of infection, and dysregulate the microbiotahost crosstalk, which is fundamental for the achievement of a homeostatic condition (Brugman et al, 2015)
Summary
Preterm birth is defined by the World Health Organization as any birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation. These include C-section preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes by the abnormal secretion of biglycan and decorin, uterine quiescence, endocannabinoid signaling, hyperhomocysteinemia, exposure to environmental stimulus, like tobacco or alcohol (McCarthy et al, 2018) Another environmental model addressed the importance of diet during pregnancy and found that the lack of vitamin D and calcium increased the rate of preterm births associated with changes in the placenta microstructure (Wilson et al, 2020). A decrease in transcellular permeability for the preterm pups measured by the passage of TRITC-dextran was detected in colon samples (Figure 2C) This scenario confirmed that (i) altered intestinal permeability and systemic inflammation are present in natural preterm pups, even after 3 weeks of life, and (ii) the situation is probably most complex than expected and further analysis are required to decipher the situation.
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