A treatment strategy for the gastrointestinal development of extremely premature infants by administration of micelles derived from pulmonary surfactants and the vernix caseosa in pregnant rabbits

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26462480
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: University of Fukui
• Principal Investigator: Nishijima Koji 福井大学, 学術研究院医学系部門(附属病院部), 講師 (80334837)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 肺サーファクタント / 胎脂 / ミセル / 壊死性腸炎 / 超低出生体重児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We prepared 125I-labeled bovine pulmonary surfactant TA (STA; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp., Osaka, Japan) using 125I-Succinimidyl-3-iodobenzoate. We then infused the 125I-labeled STA into the amniotic fluid space of pregnant Japanese white rabbits on gestational day 27 (right-ovarian-end fetuses). The 125I-labeled STA were transferred to maternal blood at 30 minutes post-dose, and most were excreted in the urine. The 125I-labeled STA were also transferred to all internal organs of all fetuses, and especially, highly accumulated at fetal stomach, gastric juices, and intestine. We speculate that the existence of highly-concentrated pulmonary surfactants in the neonatal gastrointestinal tracts just after the birth is important for neonatal immunocompetence acquisition processes. Although further studies are needed, our findings elucidate the physiological interactions among pulmonary, dermal-epidermal, and gastrointestinal developmental processes.

Free Research Field

周産期医学