title: Interleukin-1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor alpha cause placental injury in the rat.
abstract: Bacterial endotoxins (LPS) causes placental injury and fetal demise in pregnant animals. Because several biological effects of LPS are mediated by interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), the hypothesis that these cytokines could cause placental injury similar to that seen in LPS-treated pregnant rats was tested. On day 12 of gestation, rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline, LPS, native or heat-inactivated (HI) rHIL 1 alpha, or rH-TNF alpha. Seven days later, grossly abnormal implantation sites and fetal demise were observed in rats injected with rHIL-1, rHTNF, or LPS but not in those injected with saline or HI-cytokines. Necrosis of placental, decidual, and fetal tissues was observed in cytokine-treated animals. The necrosis was more severe in LPS-treated rats, in which no fetal remains were identifiable. These data suggest that IL-1 and TNF may play a role in the fetoplacental injury observed in LPS-treated pregnant rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Silen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Firpo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morgello
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Lowry
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Francus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha