Maternal administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor improves
neonatal rat survival after a lethal group B streptococcal infection
JS Novales, AM Salva, HD Modanlou, DL Kaplan, J del Castillo, J Andersen and ES Medlock
Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Memorial Miller Children's
Hospital, Irvine, CA.
Maternally administered recombinant human granulocyte colony- stimulating
factor (rhG-CSF) has been shown to cross the placenta and induce a
peripheral neutrophilia and increases in the marrow and spleen neutrophil
storage pools in fetal and newborn rats. In the present study, we have used
this model system to investigate the efficacy of prenatally administered
rhG-CSF on neonatal defense to a lethal challenge with Group B-beta
hemolytic Streptococcus (GBS). Pregnant rats were injected with rhG-CSF
twice daily beginning 6 days before parturition. At birth, all pups were
infected with a dose of GBS that is lethal for 90% of infected pups (LD90).
Survival was monitored daily for 5 days. Survival of infected pups from
saline-treated mothers beyond 60 hours after infection was 10%. No
difference in survival was observed among pups from mothers treated 2 and 4
days before parturition. In contrast, we determined that survival was 82.5%
among infected pups from mothers treated for 6 days before parturition with
rhG-CSF. Our results demonstrate that maternal administration of rhG- CSF
augments neonatal defenses against a lethal bacterial challenge.
Volume 81,
Issue 4,
pp. 923-927,
02/15/1993
Copyright © 1993 by The American Society of Hematology
