Maternal cell-mediated immunity in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancy.

Maternal cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to fetal (paternal) HLA was studied in both normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Maternal-paternal mixed lymphocyte reactivity (MLR) was assessed using macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), leucocyte migration inhibitory factor (LIF) and blast transformation assays. Primary and secondary responses were differentiated by studying 6 day MLR time courses. Maternal lymphocytes (normal pregnancies) did not show an early, (i.e. secondary), proliferative response, nor did the pattern of LIF release suggest maternal CMI to fetal (paternal) HLA. However, the lymphocyte responses between pre-eclamptic couples, in terms of both proliferation and LIF release, were consistently and significantly different from those of normal couples; a finding which may reflect an abnormal immune response.