title: [Effect of perinatal recurrent infection on the brain development in immature mice].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of perinatal recurrent infection on the brain development in immature mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six pregnant C57BL6 mice were randomly assigned to three groups: intrauterine infection, perinatal recurrent infection and control. The intrauterine infection group was intraperitoneally injected with LPS (0.5 mg/kg) on the 18th day of pregnancy. The perinatal recurrent infection group was injected with LPS (0.5 mg/kg) on the 18th day of pregnancy and their offsprings were intraperitoneally injected with the same dose of LPS daily from postnatal day 3 to 12. The control group was administered with normal saline at the same time points as the recurrent infection group. The short-time neurobehaviors were assessed on postnatal day 13. The mice were then sacrificed to measure brain weights and neuropathological changes using cresyl violet staining. Western blot was used to evaluate the expression of TNF-α, Caspase-3 and myelin basic protein (MBP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The brain weights of the recurrent infection group were significantly lower than the control and intrauterine infection groups (P<0.05) and the recurrent infection group displayed significant neuropathological changes. Perinatal recurrent infection resulted in increased expression levels of TNF-α and Caspase-3, and decreased expression level of MBP compared with the intrauterine infection and control groups (P<0.01). The neurobehavior test showed that the recurrent infection group used longer time in gait reflex, right reflex and geotaxis reflex compared with the control and intrauterine infection groups on postnatal day 13 (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perinatal recurrent infection may exacerbate inflammatory response and cell death in the immature brain, which may be one of the important factors for perinatal brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200090, China. chen6010@163.com.
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Zhi-Heng
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yi-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D012008:Recurrence; D012018:Reflex
chemical_list: D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D053148:Caspase 3