Preterm infants are highly susceptible to sustained lung inflammation, which may be triggered by exposure to multiple environmental cues such as supplemental oxygen (O2) and infections. The underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. The hypothesis of this study is that dysregulated macrophage activation is a key feature leading to inflammation-mediated development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Cord blood samples of preterm infants (n=14) and term infants (n=19) as well as peripheral blood from healthy adults (n=17) were collected. Age-dependent differences in immune responses of monocyte-derived MФ from preterm infants were characterized and compared to term infants and adults after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure.

Preterm infants are highly susceptible to sustained lung inflammation, which may be triggered by exposure to multiple environmental cues such as supplemental oxygen (O2) and infections. The underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. The hypothesis of this study is that dysregulated macrophage activation is a key feature leading to inflammation-mediated development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Cord blood samples of preterm infants (n=14) and term infants (n=19) as well as peripheral blood from healthy adults (n=17) were collected. Age-dependent differences in immune responses of monocyte-derived MФ from preterm infants were characterized and compared to term infants and adults after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure.

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