Gene Expression Profile of Endotoxin-stimulated Leukocytes of the Newly Born: Control of Cytokine Gene Expression by Interleukin-10.

Introduction: Increasing evidence now supports the association between the fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS) with the pathogenesis of preterm labor, intraventricular hemorrhage and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. These disorders are among the most important causes of mortality and morbidity in the perinatal period. During the fetal inflammatory response syndrome (FIRS) polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and monocytes (MONOs) are sequentially recruited into the placenta; the same process occurs in the lung of the newborn during the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The aim of the study was to reveal cell-specific differences in gene expression and cytokine release in response to endotoxin that would elucidate inflammatory control mechanisms in the newly born.

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