Maternal immune activation: evaluating immune responses to lipopolysaccharide in pregnant rats, their fetuses, and non-pregnant female counterparts

Abstract

In this project, we examined the innate immune response involving the production and expression of immune-related genes and proteins, specifically for cytokines, that were induced using a model of Maternal Immune Activation (MIA). Correlations between these factors were examined in dam and offspring, as well as comparisons between non-pregnant and pregnant female rats serve as the focus of this research. All female rats received injections of LPS (i.p., 50Îơg/ml/kg) or sterile saline, with emphasis on E(15) injections for pregnant dams. At either 2, 4, or 24 hours post-injection, brain and peripheral tissues were collected from female rats and fetuses. Quantitative, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to examine differences in gene expression between LPS and saline groups, pregnant and non-pregnant rats across the various tissues. Pearson correlations were run as well, examining potential correlations in immune-related gene expression between dams and their litter (1 male, 1 female per litter). Fetal sex was evaluated in correlations to observe any sex-specific correlations in immune responses between dam and fetus.