Preterm Delivery: Microbial Dysbiosis, Gut Inflammation and Hyperpermeability

Preterm birth is one of the main health problems encountered in the neonatal period, especially because it is also the first cause of death in the critical 1st month of life and the second in children under 5 years of age. Not only preterm birth entails short term health risks due to low weight and underdeveloped organs, but also increases the risk of suffering from non-transmissible diseases in the long term. To date, it is known that medical conditions and lifestyle factors could increase the risk of preterm birth, but the molecular mechanisms that control this process remain unclear. Luteolysis, increased inflammation or oxidative stress have been described as possible triggers for preterm birth and, in some cases, the cause of dysbiosis in preterm neonates. Several murine models have been developed to shed light into the mechanistic of preterm birth but, for the most part, are inflammation-based labor induction models and the offspring health readouts are mainly limited to survival and weight. Using a set of SWISS-CD1 mice born prematurely we analyzed inflammation and gut permeability parameters compared with term pups at weaning age. Overall, preterm mice presented higher systemic inflammation and gastrointestinal tract permeability. In this perspective article, we discuss the recent discoveries on preterm birth and the necessity of non-inflammatory murine models to really understand these phenotypes and be able to design strategies to prevent the sequels of this traumatic event in neonates.