Impact of anti-inflammatory treatment on placental and neurodevelopmental defects monitored in utero by MRI

Objectives: Perinatal inflammation affects newborns, especially when they are preterm, leading to neurodevelopmental diseases and enhanced susceptibility to later occurring brain damage. Cytokines, mainly the interleukin-1 (IL-1) system, are believed to be important mediators linking maternal inflammation and fetal brain damage. There is currently no therapeutic strategy to protect the newborn brain against maternal inflammation. This is mainly due to the lack of non-invasive tools to detect the impact of inflammation on the maternofetal interface and the effects of anti-inflammatory treatment. We used MRI to visualize the impact of inflammation on the placenta and to test the prevention of placental and neurodevelopmental defects by an anti-inflammatory treatment targeting the IL-1 system.