New discovery could lead to prevention of premature labour
3 August 2009
Researchers at Imperial College London have identified pathways that lead to premature birth, and discovered that blocking two of the pathways may delay premature birth. The research was funded by leading children’s charity Action Medical Research. Around 50,000 babies are born too early in the UK each year, around 7% of all births , yet very little is known about the causes of premature birth or how to prevent it. Infection and inflammation are frequent causes of premature labour and a greater understanding of the exact mechanisms involved could help researchers develop ways to prevent it. This study investigated the biochemical mechanisms by which the membranes that surround the baby respond to infection which often leads to premature labour. The researchers discovered that the levels of a protein, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), rise during labour leading to activation of a pathway resulting in increased production of other proteins that trigger labour. In the laboratory study, researchers showed that blocking two parts of the pathway delayed premature labour. Professor Bennett, lead researcher from the Clinical Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College London, says: “We are excited about the findings of this research as we have now discovered how to block a key pathway which leads to premature birth. Although more research needs to be done, we believe this is a step forward in the development of treatments to prevent premature birth.” There are several types of Toll-like receptor proteins which are found on the surface of cells and recognise bacteria and activate inflammation3. Although bacteria are found within the womb of almost every pregnant woman, only a small percentage of women go into premature labour. Therefore understanding the exact mechanisms that lead from infection to early labour is important. The study found that activation of TLR-4 resulted in an increased production of inflammatory proteins, and induced premature birth. Inhibition of two parts of the pathway that produced the inflammatory proteins delayed premature birth. Commenting on the research, Dr Yolande Harley, Deputy Director of Research at Action Medical Research: “This research will lead to improvements in understanding the mechanisms that cause premature birth and its impact could be significant if treatments that block this pathway are shown to prevent premature labour.” Premature birth is a major cause of death and disability in babies and those born very early, before 32 weeks of pregnancy, are at highest risk. Very premature babies often die within the first few days of life. Many others spend weeks or even months in intensive care. Those who do survive are at risk of developing serious disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, and learning disabilities, which persist throughout their lives.
