Cathelicidins and the Onset of Labour.

ABSTRACT: Preterm birth, defined as delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Infection and inflammation are frequent antecedents of spontaneous preterm birth. Cathelicidin, an antimicrobial host defence peptide, is induced by infection and inflammation and although expressed in the reproductive tract and fetal tissues, its role in the pathogenesis of spontaneous preterm birth is unknown. Here we demonstrate that cathelicidin expression is increased at RNA and protein level in the mouse uterus in a model of inflammation-induced labour, where ultrasound guided intrauterine injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at E17 stimulates preterm delivery within 24 hours. Cathelicidin-deficient (Camp^-/-) mice are less susceptible to preterm deliv

SUBMITTER: Boeckel SRV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6517412 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature