title: Plasma levels of the immunomodulatory cytokine interleukin-10 during normal human pregnancy: a longitudinal study.
abstract: Pregnancy is proposed to be a Th2 phenomenon, where Th2 cytokines inhibit Th1 responses to improve foetal survival. The importance of interleukin-10 (IL-10), an immunomodulatory cytokine produced by Th2 cells, in the maintenance of normal pregnancy is becoming increasingly apparent. In a longitudinal case-control study, the physiological effect of pregnancy on plasma IL-10 was investigated. The plasma concentration of IL-10 was determined using an ELISA technique in 99 pregnant women sampled at 12, 20 and 35 weeks of gestation, 38 non-pregnant control subjects sampled in parallel and in a subgroup of women sampled at 3 days post-partum (n, pregnant 21, non-pregnant 21). Plasma IL-10 was significantly higher in pregnant women at 12, 20 and 35 weeks of gestation (p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.0001, respectively), and in mothers post-delivery (p<0.01) when compared to non-pregnant control subjects. Furthermore, there was no significant effect of gestational time on IL-10 concentration. Results from the current study suggest that elevated IL-10 is a physiological consequence of normal healthy pregnancy. These findings help clarify previous conflicting results and establish a range for plasma levels of IL-10 in normal healthy pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Centre for Diet and Health (NICHE), University of Ulster, BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, Coleraine, UK. v.holmes@qub.ac.uk
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: J M W
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McFaul
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Alexander
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000097:blood; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D016753:Interleukin-10