Effects of intrauterine inflammation on the developing mouse brain

Clinical and experimental evidence indicate that the presence of intrauterine inflammation in pregnancy is not only a cause of preterm birth but is also associated with perinatal brain damage and long-term neurological handicap. In the present study, the neuropathological outcome was investigated in surviving pups in a model of inflammation-induced preterm delivery. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to intrauterine injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline, at a time corresponding to 79% of average gestation (gestational day 15). Fetuses that survived after LPS administration were sacrificed on postnatal day 14 (PND 14). At PND 14, the brain weight of LPS-exposed pups was significantly lower than that of saline-exposed. A high proportion of LPS-exposed brains were found affected and exhibited hypomyelination, enlarged ventricles, and in some cortical gray matter lesions were evident. None of these pathologies were detected in sham-treated animals. Conclusions: Intrauterine inflammation impaired brain development and various brain lesions were produced in both the white and gray matter after intrauterine LPS administration in mice.