Antenatal inflammation and lung injury: prenatal origin of neonatal disease

Early Alterations of Growth Factor Patterns in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid From Preterm Infants Developing Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

“…Instead, significant associations were detected between BPD and levels of total PL and growth factors involved in lung maturation and development (e.g., VEGF and TGF-␣). These findings are in agreement with the current concept of a shift in pathophysiology from old to new BPD (2,4). Secondary lung injury and fibrosis are replaced by a picture depicted as a developmental arrest of the lung.…”

“…The latter has been shown to predispose the infant to BPD already before birth, as indicated by the relationship between chorioamnionitis and adverse lung development (4,5). In recent years, accumulating evidence indicates that growth factors play an important role in the developmental arrest of the lung seen in "new BPD" (3,6).…”

Antenatal betamethasone attenuates intrauterine infection-aggravated hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal rats

“…Priming of the fetal lung by chorioamnionitis is associated with increased inflammation of the fetal and/or postnatal lung (2). Inflammation is a key factor in the development of BPD (5), and steroids are potent anti-inflammatory agents (6).…”

“…Among the multiple factors that affect the development of BPD, intrauterine infection/ inflammation is known to affect the fetal lung and exacerbate postnatal evolution of BPD (2).…”

543: Presenting twins are exposed to higher levels of inflammatory mediators than non-presenting twins as early as the mid-trimester of pregnancy

“…In animal studies, intra-amniotic administration of endotoxin or inflammatory cytokine accelerated lung maturation by increasing the production of airway surfactant and improving lung gas exchange, which has been suggested as the mechanism by which antenatal corticosteroids act to promote functional maturation of the fetal lung [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Recent studies suggest that chorioamnionitis is associated with the decreased risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, thereby supporting the theory that pulmonary maturation is accelerated in the presence of antenatal inflammation [14,[25][26][27][28][29][30].…”