Objective: Preterm labor and birth are strongly associated with sterile intra-amniotic inflammation, a clinical condition that is proposed to be initiated by danger signals, or alarmins. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the intra-amniotic administration of the alarmin heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) induces preterm labor/birth and adverse neonatal outcomes.
Methods: Pregnant mice received an intra-amniotic injection of 200 ng (n = 8), 400 ng (n = 6), 500 ng (n = 10), or 1 µg of HSP70 (n = 6). Control mice were injected with saline (n = 10). Following injection, the rates of preterm labor/birth and neonatal mortality were recorded. Neonatal weights at weeks 1, 2, and 3 were also recorded.
Results: The intra-amniotic injection of 400 ng [late preterm birth 16.7 ± 16.7% (1/6)], 500 ng [early and late preterm birth 10 ± 10% (1/10) each], or 1 µg [early preterm birth 16.7 ± 16.7% (1/6)] of HSP70 induced low rates of preterm/birth. However, the intra-amniotic injection of 500 ng or 1 µg of HSP70 induced significantly higher rates of neonatal mortality compared to controls [saline 14.2% (10/74), 200 ng 9.8% (6/61), 400 ng 17.9% (9/45), 500 ng 28.8% (23/78), and 1 µg 21.4% (13/49)]. Neonates born to dams injected with 200, 500 ng, or 1 µg HSP70 were leaner than controls (p ≤ .05).
Conclusion: Intra-amniotic administration of the alarmin HSP70 did not induce high rates of preterm labor/birth; yet, it did indeed result in adverse neonatal outcomes.
Keywords: Acute histologic chorioamnionitis; DAMPs; amniotic fluid; fetal inflammatory response; funisitis; inflammation; mouse; parturition; pregnancy; prematurity; sterile intra-amniotic inflammation.