MONTREAL, Sept. 8 (UPI) — Researchers designed a molecule that can prevent the uterine inflammation that leads to contractions and preterm labor, according to a new study.
Interleukin 1, a family of proteins that regulates immune and inflammatory responses in the body, was found to be a primary cause of the inflammatory process that can lead to premature labor. The molecule researchers created is designed to head off inflammatory responses caused by some of these proteins, without diminishing the other critical mechanisms they perform both for the mother and the fetus.
Although the United States has seen a substantial increase in the survival of extremely preterm infants over the last 20 years, about 10 percent of all infants worldwide are born early and premature birth remains the top cause of infant death around the world. Preterm children who survive still may have to deal with potentially severe, long-lasting physical, intellectual or psychological impairments.
Researchers in the study, published in the Journal of Immunology, found while investigating uterine tissues that Interleukin 1 was the cause of inflammation that often leads to early labor.
In mice, they tested therapeutic agents that block the proteins, finding that cutting them off wholesale led to no effects on inflammation and but had significant side effects on the fetus.
“Interleukin 1’s effect is much larger than just amplifying inflammation — its physiological role is critical in protecting the vulnerable fetus against infections, and ensuring that cells will survive inflammation and other sources of aggression”, said Dr. Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée, a researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, in a press release. “Orthosteric antagonists currently available on the market are large molecules. They block most of the signaling pathways of Interleukin 1, including some protective mechanisms critical for the fetus, such as immunesurveillance and cytoprotection.”
The researchers designed a much smaller molecule that targets the pathway controlling inflammation, rather than completely interfering with Interleukin 1. They found it effectively controlled inflammation without the side effects found when using the larger molecules already available.
Despite preterm birth being the leading cause of infant death around the world, preterm infants are still surviving in greater numbers than they once did. A new National Institutes of Health study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that extremely preterm infants in the United States are surviving at a much greater rate than they once did.
Researchers found in a review of data on 34,636 infants born between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation that their chances of survival have increased in the 20 years from 1993 to 2012. While 52 percent of extremely preterm infants born at 24 weeks survived in 1993, that rate increased to 65 percent in 2012. For infants born at 27 weeks, those who survived without major illness increased from 29 percent in 1993 to 47 percent in 2012.
According to Dr. Rosemary Higgins, of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, advances in neonatal and maternal care have progressed in ways that allow more infants to survive when born so young because of research focused on preterm labor and births.
“We’re now seeing the results of that investment in improvements in survival and outcomes,” Higgins said in a press release.
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