Animal Models for the Study of Neonatal Disease

Neonatal diseases are quite unique among human diseases because (1) there is a dramatic physiological transition from fetal to neonatal life, (2) organs are still in their developmental stage, and (3) fetuses are affected by the condition of uterine environment, such as intrauterine infection/inflammation. Some characteristics of the diseases have been changed in the past several decades by the elevation of the degree of prematurity owing to the progress of neonatal intensive care. Animal models of the diseases including pregnant dams, neonates, and even adult animals have contributed to the progress of understanding the mechanisms and exploring the efficient treatment strategies, such as antenatal glucocorticoids or neuroprotective hypothermia. In this chapter, the most common neonatal diseases and their corresponding animal models are discussed. We focused on (1) respiratory distress syndrome, (2) chronic lung disease, (3) patent ductus arteriosus, (4) retinopathy of prematurity, (5) intraventricular hemorrhage, (6) cerebral palsy, and (7) necrotizing enterocolitis.