“Prenatal stress and the fetal gut. Potential interventions to prevent adverse outcomes”
 

Keywords: preterm birth, chorioamnionitis, fetal intestine, treatment

Preterm birth is the most important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the developed world accounting for approximately one million neonatal deaths worldwide. A frequent cause of preterm delivery is chorioamnionitis, a bacterial infection of the amniotic cavity, which adversely affects multiple fetal organs including the intestine. Chorioamnionitis is associated with compromised postnatal intestinal outcomes such as poor nutritional uptake and necrotizing enterocolitis. Given the impact of chorioamnionitis on intestinal function and pathology, the pre-clinical studies described in this dissertation aimed to unravel the underlying mechanisms which may explain the association between chorioamnionitis and adverse intestinal outcomes. In addition, this thesis presents innovative prenatal therapeutic interventions to prevent chorioamnionitis-driven intestinal injury, which potentially can protect numerous preterm neonates.