title: Pregnancy-induced expansion of regulatory T-lymphocytes may mediate protection to multiple sclerosis activity.
abstract: Pregnancy represents a physiological transitory state of immune tolerance to avoid the rejection of the foetus, and concomitantly of stabilisation of many autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Alterations in regulatory T-lymphocytes (T(Reg)) are known to be involved in organ-specific autoimmune disease pathophysiology. Our goal was to quantify CD4+ CD25+ and CD4+ CD25hi+ T(Reg) and activated (CD4+ HLA-DR+ CD38+) T-lymphocytes during pregnancy and puerperium in 13 MS patients in comparison with healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women. During pregnancy, a progressive parallel increase in CD4+ CD25+ T-lymphocytes in healthy pregnants as well as MS pregnant patients was observed. The proportion of T(Reg) was significantly higher in all pregnants than in non-pregnant women (p=0.01), whereas no differences were observed neither in the percentages of total nor activated CD4+ T-lymphocytes. In MS patients, CD4+ CD25+ T-lymphocytes significantly decreased when comparing the third trimester with the puerperal period proportions (p = 0.01), whereas CD4+ CD25hi+ T-lymphocytes significantly increased (p = 0.002). Our findings are consistent with the expansion of circulating regulatory CD4+ CD25+ T-lymphocytes pool with suppressive activity during normal pregnancy and in MS. A different pattern of CD+ CD25hi+ T-lymphocytes between healthy pregnants and MS women, which may represent relevant factors in the activity course of MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Gregorio Marañón University General Hospital, Calle Doctor Esquerdo, 46, 28007 Madrid, Spain. ssanchez.hgugm@salud.madrid.org
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Ramón
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navarro A
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aristimuño
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Mahou
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bellón
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández-Cruz
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Andrés
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000276:immunology*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD