Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Epidermal Growth Factor on the Immature Human Intestine

The inflammatory response of preterm infants' intestine underlines its inability to respond to hemodynamic stress, microbes and nutrients. Recent evidence suggests that exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) exerts a therapeutic influence on neonatal enteropathies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of EGF remain to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of EGF on the gene expression profiles of the developing human small and large intestine at mid-gestation in serum-free organ cultures using Illumina microarrays. Differential functional effects of EGF along the human fetal intestine [Illumina] Transcriptional profiling of small and large intestinal explants cultured in the absence (control) or in the presence of EGF (50 ng/mL).