Intrauterine inflammation is a common antecedent of preterm birth and can alter the development of the fetal thymus, the site of development, and maturation of T lymphocytes. The effects of intrauterine inflammation on specific thymic T lymphocyte populations are largely unknown. We hypothesized that intrauterine inflammation would alter fetal thymic T cell populations. Immunohistochemistry was used to quantitate the relative proportions of thymic cortical and medullary cell populations in fetal sheep 7 days after intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection. The proportions of CD8+and MHC II+ cells in the fetal thymus were reduced in response to LPS. The ratio of CD4:CD8 cells was increased by LPS exposure. No changes were observed in the percentage of CD4+, γδ(WC1)+, CD45R+B cells, or CD44+ cells. These studies indicate that intrauterine inflammation impacts thymic composition of CD8 T cells and the development and/or activation of CD4 T cells in the fetal thymus.
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