PROBLEM: It has been proposed that immune responses in normal pregnancy are Th2-like, thereby protecting the fetus and placenta from being rejected. Some studies have shown Th2-deviated systemic responses to different antigens and mitogens. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the specific T cell cytokine responses directed toward paternal histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA), because this is the most prominent target for rejection of the feto-placental unit. METHOD OF STUDY: A novel one-way mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) combined with the detection of cytokine secretion with a sensitive ELISPOT assay was developed. Peripheral blood from 11 pregnant women was investigated with respect to allo-reactivity toward paternal leukocytes and pooled leukocytes from unrelated blood donors. This was done at three different occasions during pregnancy and 8 weeks after delivery. Nine age-matched non-pregnant women served as controls. RESULTS: In the second and third trimesters of pregnancy significantly larger numbers of IL-4-secreting cells (Th2) were induced by paternal leukocytes as compared to unrelated leukocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a selective immune deviation toward Th2, which may protect the fetus from rejection and thus may be an important homeostatic mechanism in normal pregnancies.
PROBLEM: It has been proposed that immune responses in normal pregnancy are Th2-like, thereby protecting the fetus and placenta from being rejected. Some studies have shown Th2-deviated systemic responses to different antigens and mitogens. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the specific T cell cytokine responses directed toward paternal histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA), because this is the most prominent target for rejection of the feto-placental unit. METHOD OF STUDY: A novel one-way mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) combined with the detection of cytokine secretion with a sensitive ELISPOT assay was developed. Peripheral blood from 11 pregnant women was investigated with respect to allo-reactivity toward paternal leukocytes and pooled leukocytes from unrelated blood donors. This was done at three different occasions during pregnancy and 8 weeks after delivery. Nine age-matched non-pregnant women served as controls. RESULTS: In the second and third trimesters of pregnancy significantly larger numbers of IL-4-secreting cells (Th2) were induced by paternal leukocytes as compared to unrelated leukocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate a selective immune deviation toward Th2, which may protect the fetus from rejection and thus may be an important homeostatic mechanism in normal pregnancies.
Authors: Nardhy Gomez-Lopez; Roberto Romero; Sonia S Hassan; Gaurav Bhatti; Stanley M Berry; Juan Pedro Kusanovic; Percy Pacora; Adi L Tarca Journal: Front Immunol Date: 2019-12-17 Impact factor: 7.561
Authors: Tejaswi V Badam; Sandra Hellberg; Ratnesh B Mehta; Jeannette Lechner-Scott; Rodney A Lea; Jorg Tost; Xavier Mariette; Judit Svensson-Arvelund; Colm E Nestor; Mikael Benson; Göran Berg; Maria C Jenmalm; Mika Gustafsson; Jan Ernerudh Journal: Epigenetics Date: 2021-10-04 Impact factor: 4.861