Changes in the proportion of T helper 1 and T helper 2 cells in cord blood after premature rupture of membranes.
This study investigated changes in the proportion of T helper (Th)1 and Th2 cells in cord blood after premature rupture of membranes (PROM), and evaluate the effects of PROM on the intrauterine fetal immune status. The proportion of CD3-positive T cells secreting interferon (IFN)-gamma as an index of Th1 cells, and interleukin (IL)-4 as an index of Th2 cells in cord blood of 12 newborns with and without PROM, were analyzed by flow cytometry. In cord blood of newborns with PROM, the proportion of IFN-gamma secreting cells significantly increased, and the proportion of IL-4 secreting cells was rather high but not significantly higher than that of newborns without PROM. These changes eventually caused a shift in the Th1/Th2 ratio to Th1 dominance in PROM. There was no significant correlation between the proportion of IFN-gamma secreting cells and the duration of PROM before the onset of labor. These results suggest that the increase in the proportion of IFN-gamma secreting cells after PROM, which eventually cause the Th1/Th2 ratios to show the Th1 predominance, may reflect in part intrauterine fetal immune responses to PROM.
Yoneyama
Y
Y
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan. yoshi-1@ nms.ac.jp
Suzuki
S
S
Sawa
R
R
Otsubo
Y
Y
Miura
A
A
Kuwabara
Y
Y
Ishino
H
H
Kiyokawa
Y
Y
Doi
D
D
Yoneyama
K
K
Araki
T
T
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000097:blood*; D005333:Fetus / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma