%0 Journal Article %A A E Curley %A D G Sweet %A K J MacMahon %A C M O’Connor %A H L Halliday %T Chorioamnionitis increases matrix metalloproteinase-8 concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from preterm babies %D 2004 %R 10.1136/fn.89.1.F61 %J Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition %P F61-F64 %V 89 %N 1 %X Objective: To determine the effects of chorioamnionitis and antenatal corticosteroids on matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from preterm babies in the first week of life. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Regional neonatal intensive care unit. Patients: Thirty five ventilated preterm babies < 33 weeks gestation, seven of whom were born after chorioamnionitis, which was diagnosed histologically as the presence of inflammatory cells in the chorioamnionic plate. Methods: MMP-8 was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 90 serial BAL samples taken during the first six postnatal days. The median MMP-8 concentration for each baby was calculated. Results: Median MMP-8 concentrations were higher in the chorioamnionitis group than in those without (43 v 5 ng/ml). Partial or complete courses of antenatal corticosteroids had no effect on MMP-8 concentrations. Conclusions: Higher concentrations of MMP-8 are found in BAL fluid from preterm babies from pregnancies complicated by chorioamnionitis. This type I collagenase may contribute to the lung injury that occurs in some babies with respiratory distress syndrome. %U https://fn.bmj.com/content/fetalneonatal/89/1/F61.full.pdf