Antenatal Ureaplasma infection induces ovine small intestinal goblet cell defects: a strong link with NEC pathology.

ABSTRACT: Disruption of the intestinal mucus barrier and intestinal epithelial endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contribute to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Previously, we observed intestinal goblet cell loss and increased intestinal epithelial ER stress following chorioamnionitis. Here, we investigated how chorioamnionitis affects goblet cells by assessing their cellular characteristics. Importantly, goblet cell features are compared with those in clinical NEC biopsies. Mucus thickness was assessed as read-out of goblet cell function. Fetal lambs were intra-amniotically (IA) infected for 7d at 122 gestational age with Ureaplasma parvum serovar-3, the main microorganism clinically associated with chorioamnionitis. After preterm delivery, mucus thickness, goblet cell numbers, gut inflammati

SUBMITTER: van Gorp C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10606782 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature