Maternal—Fetal rejection reactions are unconstrained in preeclamptic women

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 11; p. e0188250
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Tina A., Kahn, Daniel A., Loewendorf, Andrea I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 27.11.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Activation; Adult; Age differences; Antigens; Arthritis; Autoimmunity; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood; CD4 antigen; CD8 antigen; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Childbirth & labor; Complications and side effects; Cytokines; Cytokines - pharmacology; Cytometry; Demography; Female; Fetuses; Flow cytometry; Genetic aspects; Genetic markers; Granulocytes; Gynecology; Human subjects; Humans; Immunologic Memory; Immunological tolerance; Immunophenotyping; Immunoregulation; Inflammation; Lymphocyte Activation - drug effects; Lymphocyte Count; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Maternal-fetal exchange; Maternal-Fetal Exchange - drug effects; Maternal-Fetal Exchange - immunology; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Memory cells; Obstetrics; Paternity; Penicillin; Peripheral blood; Physiological aspects; Pre-eclampsia; Pre-Eclampsia - immunology; Pre-Eclampsia - pathology; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Students; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - drug effects; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory - immunology; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Womens health; Young Adult; United States; Los Angeles California; United States > US; California
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188250

The risk factors for preeclampsia, extremes of maternal age, changing paternity, concomitant maternal autoimmunity, and/or birth intervals greater than 5 years, suggest an underlying immunopathology. We used peripheral blood and lymphocytes from the UteroPlacental Interface (UPI) of 3rd trimester healthy pregnant women in multicolor flow cytometry-and in vitro suppression assays. The major end-point was the characterization of activation markers, and potential effector functions of different CD4-and CD8 subsets as well as T regulatory cells (Treg). We observed a significant shift of peripheral CD4 -and CD8- T cells from naïve to memory phenotype in preeclamptic women compared to healthy pregnant women consistent with long-standing immune activation. While the proportions of the highly suppressive Cytokine and Activated Treg were increased in preeclampsia, Treg tolerance toward fetal antigens was dysfunctional. Thus, our observations indicate a long-standing inflammatory derangement driving immune activation in preeclampsia; in how far the Treg dysfunction is caused by/causes this immune activation in preeclampsia will be the object of future studies.