It is estimated that inflammation at the placental–maternal interface is directly responsible for or contributes to the development of 50% of all premature deliveries. Chorioamnionitis, also known as the premature rupture of the amniotic membrane in the mother, is the root cause of persistent inflammation that preterm newborns experience. Beyond contributing to the onset of early labor, inflammation is a critical element in advancing several conditions in neonates, including necrotizing enterocolitis, retinopathy of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity and periventricular leukomalacia. Notably, the immune systems of preterm infants are not fully developed; immune defense mechanisms and immunosuppression (tolerance) have a delicate balance that is easily upset in this patient category. As a result, premature infants are exposed to different antigens from elements such as hospital-specific microbes, artificial devices, medications, food antigens and hypoxia/hyperoxia. This has detrimental implications for preterm deliveries of less than 28 weeks because they have not yet evolved the mechanisms to tolerate maternal and self-antigens.
