Nardhy Gomez-Lopez1,2,3, Roberto Romero1,4,5,6, Yi Xu1,2, Derek Miller1,2,3, Yaozhu Leng1,2, Bogdan Panaitescu1,2, Pablo Silva1,7, Jonathan Faro2, Ali Alhousseini2, Navleen Gill2, Sonia S Hassan1,2,8, Chaur-Dong Hsu2. 1. Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD and Detroit, MI, USA. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA. 3. Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. 6. Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA. 7. Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. 8. Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
Abstract
PROBLEM: The immune cellular composition of amniotic fluid is poorly understood. Herein, we determined: 1) the immunophenotype of amniotic fluid immune cells during the second and third trimester in the absence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation; 2) whether amniotic fluid T cells and ILCs display different phenotypical characteristics to that of peripheral cells; and 3) whether the amniotic fluid immune cells are altered in women with intra-amniotic infection/inflammation. METHOD OF STUDY: Amniotic fluid samples (n = 57) were collected from 15 to 40 weeks of gestation in women without intra-amniotic infection/inflammation. Samples from women with intra-amniotic infection/inflammation were also included (n = 9). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy adults were used as controls (n = 3). Immunophenotyping was performed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: In the absence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation, the amniotic fluid contained several immune cell populations between 15 and 40 weeks. Among these immune cells: (i) T cells and ILCs were greater than B cells and natural killer (NK) cells between 15 and 30 weeks; (ii) T cells were most abundant between 15 and 30 weeks; (iii) ILCs were most abundant between 15 and 20 weeks; (iv) B cells were scarce between 15 and 20 weeks; yet, they increased and were constant after 20 weeks; (v) NK cells were greater between 15 and 30 weeks than at term; (vi) ILCs expressed high levels of RORγt, CD161, and CD103 (ie, group 3 ILCs); (vii) T cells expressed high levels of RORγt; (viii) neutrophils increased as gestation progressed; and (ix) monocytes/macrophages emerged after 20 weeks and remained constant until term. All of the amniotic fluid immune cells, except ILCs, were increased in the presence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation. CONCLUSION: The amniotic fluid harbors a diverse immune cellular composition during normal and complicated pregnancies. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain.
PROBLEM: The immune cellular composition of amniotic fluid is poorly understood. Herein, we determined: 1) the immunophenotype of amniotic fluid immune cells during the second and third trimester in the absence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation; 2) whether amniotic fluid T cells and ILCs display different phenotypical characteristics to that of peripheral cells; and 3) whether the amniotic fluid immune cells are altered in women with intra-amniotic infection/inflammation. METHOD OF STUDY: Amniotic fluid samples (n = 57) were collected from 15 to 40 weeks of gestation in women without intra-amniotic infection/inflammation. Samples from women with intra-amniotic infection/inflammation were also included (n = 9). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy adults were used as controls (n = 3). Immunophenotyping was performed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: In the absence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation, the amniotic fluid contained several immune cell populations between 15 and 40 weeks. Among these immune cells: (i) T cells and ILCs were greater than B cells and natural killer (NK) cells between 15 and 30 weeks; (ii) T cells were most abundant between 15 and 30 weeks; (iii) ILCs were most abundant between 15 and 20 weeks; (iv) B cells were scarce between 15 and 20 weeks; yet, they increased and were constant after 20 weeks; (v) NK cells were greater between 15 and 30 weeks than at term; (vi) ILCs expressed high levels of RORγt, CD161, and CD103 (ie, group 3 ILCs); (vii) T cells expressed high levels of RORγt; (viii) neutrophils increased as gestation progressed; and (ix) monocytes/macrophages emerged after 20 weeks and remained constant until term. All of the amniotic fluid immune cells, except ILCs, were increased in the presence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation. CONCLUSION: The amniotic fluid harbors a diverse immune cellular composition during normal and complicated pregnancies. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain.
Entities:
Keywords:
B cells; T cells; bacteria; fetal immunity; immune cells; innate lymphoid cells; intra-amniotic infection; intra-amniotic inflammation; leukocytes; macrophages; microbes; microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity; monocytes; mucosal immunity; natural killer (NK) cells; neutrophils
Authors: R Romero; H Munoz; R Gomez; M Parra; M Polanco; V Valverde; J Hasbun; J Garrido; F Ghezzi; M Mazor; J E Tolosa; M D Mitchell Journal: Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids Date: 1996-03 Impact factor: 4.006
Authors: Jose Galaz; Roberto Romero; Yi Xu; Derek Miller; Dustyn Levenson; Robert Para; Aneesha Varrey; Richard Hsu; Anna Tong; Sonia S Hassan; Chaur-Dong Hsu; Nardhy Gomez-Lopez Journal: J Perinat Med Date: 2020-09-25 Impact factor: 1.901
Authors: Roberto Romero; Nardhy Gomez-Lopez; Andrew D Winters; Eunjung Jung; Majid Shaman; Janine Bieda; Bogdan Panaitescu; Percy Pacora; Offer Erez; Jonathan M Greenberg; Madison M Ahmad; Chaur-Dong Hsu; Kevin R Theis Journal: J Perinat Med Date: 2019-11-26 Impact factor: 1.901