The impact of dydrogesterone supplementation on serum cytokine profile in women with threatened abortion.
OBJECTIVE
The role of increased Th1 cytokine expression in pregnancy failure has been questioned recently. The therapeutic value of progestogens in threatened abortion (TA) is still debated. The aim of this prospective study was to compare serum cytokine [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-10] concentrations in women with TA to those in women with normal pregnancy and to evaluate the impact of dydrogesterone supplementation in the former group on cytokine concentration.


METHODS
Twenty-seven threatened aborters were treated for 10 days with dydrogesterone (30-40 mg/day). Sixteen healthy pregnant controls received no treatment. Serum cytokine concentrations were measured twice in both groups by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Mean serum concentrations of Th1- and Th2-type cytokines in women with TA did not differ from those in women with normal pregnancy at first and second sampling. After dydrogesterone supplementation, mean TNF-alpha/IL-10 ratio changed from 1.08 to 1.75 while IL-12/IL-10 ratio remained almost the same (0.56-0.61) in the threatened aborters group and did not differ from those in healthy women.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study indicate that peripheral cytokine production in threatened aborters does not differ from that observed among healthy pregnant women. The protective effect of dydrogesterone supplementation in threatened aborters is manifested via restoring progesterone-induced blocking factor concentration rather than controlling cytokine production.
Kalinka
Jarosław
J
Department of Perinatology, I Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. j.kalinka@csk.am.lodz.pl
Radwan
Michał
M
D000033:Abortion, Threatened / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004394:Dydrogesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome
D016207:Cytokines; D004394:Dydrogesterone