title: Monocytes are primed to produce the Th1 type cytokine IL-12 in normal human pregnancy: an intracellular flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
abstract: This paper considers both monocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes as potential targets for maternal immunological modulation in pregnancy. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from non-pregnant and normal pregnant donors were stimulated in vitro, and cytokine production detected intracellularly by flow cytometry. It was found that monocyte production of TNF-alpha was unaltered in pregnancy, while production of IL-12 was significantly enhanced. In contrast, production of the Th1 type cytokine IFN-gamma was suppressed in the lymphocyte subsets: CD4+ T helper cells and CD56+ NK cells. Production of the Th2 type cytokine IL-4 in CD4+ cells was not significantly altered in pregnancy. These data suggest that the concept that pregnancy is a 'Th2 phenomenon' cannot be generalized to the function of all aspects of maternal cellular immunity as, paradoxically, circulating monocytes are 'primed' to produce the Th1 cytokine IL-12. Furthermore, these data support the hypothesis that components of maternal innate immunity are activated in normal pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Sacks
authors.forename: C W G
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Redman
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Sargent
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma