UT Southwestern. US: Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical
Center have identified hyaluronon (HA) as a critical substance made by
the body that protects against premature births caused by infection.
Pre-term birth from infection is the leading cause of infant mortality
in many countries according to the World Health Organization. The
findings of the study, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, are the first to identify the specific role that HA plays in the reproductive tract.“We
found that HA is required to allow the epithelial lining of the
reproductive tract to serve as the first line of defense against
bacterial infections,” said senior author Dr. Mala Mahendroo, an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology's Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences.
“Because of this action, HA offers cervical protection against the
bacterial infections that cause 25 to 40 percent of pre-term births in
women.”
Hyaluronon is a natural substance found in many tissues, and is both a
lubricant and a beneficial component of eyes, joints, and skin. It has
long been thought to play an essential role in increasing the cervix’s
flexibility during the birth process; however, the study, which was
conducted using mouse models, showed that HA is not essential for
increased cervical pliability during late pregnancy. Rather, the
substance plays an important barrier role in epithelial cells of the
lower reproductive tract and in so doing protects against
infection-related pre-term birth. The World Health Organization
estimates that 1.09 million children under age 5 die from direct
complications of being born prematurely, meaning before the 37th week of
pregnancy.
Previous studies by UT Southwestern reproductive biology researchers
showed that HA is present in both the cervix and cervical mucus of
pregnant women. Next steps include determining the mechanism by which HA
affects cervical protection against infection.
“This study demonstrates that HA plays a crucial role in the
epithelial barrier as well as the cervix’s mucus,” said Dr. Yucel Akgul,
first author of the study and research scientist in the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Our next step is to identify exactly how HA
protects the cervix, which can have important clinical implications in
the effort to reduce infection-mediated pre-term labor.”
Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study include Dr. R. Ann Word, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Word holds the Mary Dees McDermott Hicks Chair in Medical Science.