Anti-inflammatory interventions in pregnancy: now and the future

Abstract

A growing body of evidence implicates inflammatory pathways in adverse reproductive outcomes. This expanding evidence suggests that anti-inflammatory interventions may hold promise in reducing the maternal and neonatal morbidities and mortalities associated with these obstetrical complications. Preterm birth, preeclampsia, pregnancy loss and adverse neonatal outcomes have all been associated with the activation of inflammatory pathways during pregnancy. Because of the number of observational human studies, as well as animal models of preterm birth, the mechanisms by which inflammation may promote preterm parturition and adverse effects on the fetus are beginning to be elucidated. Although the future use of anti-inflammatory interventions in this context holds significant promise, much research is still warranted. Only when the pathogenesis of obstetrical complications is more fully understood can meaningful therapeutic interventions become a realistic goal.