Reproduction Abstracts

The pathophysiology of preterm labour is poorly understood and the causal factors uncertain, but inflammatory mechanisms are clearly implicated. Escherichia coli contain lipopolysaccharide, a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) which binds Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and related TLR-associated receptors to activate inflammation and induce preterm delivery (PTD). This project seeks to investigate whether inhibition of the TLR4 signalling pathway using small mo...