Choriodecidual Infection Downregulates Angiogenesis and Morphogenesis Pathways in Fetal Lungs from Macaca Nemestrina

Intrauterine exposure to amniotic fluid (AF) cytokines is thought to predispose to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). We evaluated the effects of GBS exposure on RNA expression in fetal lung tissue to determine early molecular pathways associated with fetal lung injury that may progress to BPD. Ten chronically catheterized pregnant monkeys (Macaca nemestrina) at 118-125 days gestation (term=172 days) received choriodecidual inoculation of either: 1) Group B Streptococcus (n=5) or 2) saline (n=5). Cesarean section and fetal necropsy was performed in the first week after GBS or saline inoculation regardless of labor. RNA was extracted from fetal lungs and profiled by microarray. Results were analyzed using single gene, Gene Set, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Validation was by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.