Maternal infection-induced white matter injury is reduced by treatment with interleukin-10.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that interleukin-10 can prevent white matter injury in neonatal rats that are born to infected dams.

STUDY DESIGN:

Timed pregnant rats (day 17) were assigned to the following treatment groups: (1) saline control (n = 5 rats), (2) Escherichia coli- infected (n = 10 rats), and (3) E coli + interleukin-10 (n = 5 rats). E coli was administered at a titer of 1 x 10(7) colony-forming units by intrauterine inoculation just above the cervix at the bifurcation of the uterine horns. Rat interleukin-10 was administered intravenously at a dose of 1 microg/kg of body weight. After delivery, the pups were maintained with dams until day 8, at which time they were placed under general anesthesia and perfused with saline solution followed by 10% paraformaldehyde. The brains were removed, placed in 30% sucrose solution, and then frozen at -20 degrees C until the preparation of the frozen sections. Standard hematoxylin/eosin staining was performed, and the brains were evaluated for matter necrosis, apoptotic cells, and ventricular swelling.

RESULTS:

In pups that were born to infected dams, 11 of 38 pups (29%) displayed symmetric lesions around the lateral ventricles. These lesions were characterized by marked looseness/edema of the neuropil, foamy-appearing histiocytes, and granular neuropil breakdown. None of the pups (n = 17) that were born to interleukin-10-treated infected dams displayed this pattern of severe white matter injury.

CONCLUSION:

These results suggest that maternal interleukin-10 therapy could provide neuroprotection for infants who are born to mothers with intrauterine infection.

• Authors: Sheryl Rodts-Palenik, Josephine Wyatt-Ashmead, Yi Pang, Brad Thigpen, Zhengwei Cai, Phillip Rhodes, James N Martin, Joey Granger, William A Bennett
• Journal: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology (Am J Obstet Gynecol) Vol. 191 Issue 4 Pg. 1387-92 (Oct 2004) ISSN: 0002-9378 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15507970 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Interleukin-10

Topics

• Animals
• Animals, Newborn
• Cerebral Ventricles (embryology, microbiology, pathology)
• Escherichia coli Infections (pathology)
• Female
• Histiocytes (pathology)
• Interleukin-10 (therapeutic use)
• Maternal Exposure
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Complications, Infectious (pathology)
• Random Allocation
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley