Maternal Peripartum Antibiotic Exposure Worsens Experimental Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Abstract

Purpose: Recent reports indicate that early antibiotic exposure may worsen the severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in very low birthweight infants. The mechanisms mediating worsened outcomes are unknown, but antibiotic exposure directly perturbs the intestinal microbiome stability and emerging evidence suggests the intestinal microbiota may influence systemic inflammation. Accordingly, we investigated if alteration of the intestinal microbiota altered the development of hyperoxic lung injury in neonatal mice. Methods: We created a two-exposure model that randomized pregnant C57BL/6J mice on the tenth day of gestation to maternal antibiotic treatment (penicillin 500mg/L, MAT) or control. After birth, newborn offspring were randomized to hyperoxia (FiO2 0.85 or 0.60) or FiO2 0.21 for 14 …