title: Murine serum cytokines throughout the estrous cycle, pregnancy and post partum period.
abstract: Cytokines are pleiotropic glycoproteins participating in many aspects of mammalian reproductive physiology. Although murine models have been established to study normal and pathological pregnancy, the small volume of retrievable sample has hampered investigations into the role of cytokines in these processes. These problems were overcome by using fluid-phase multiplex immunoassays to monitor the serum profiles of 18 cytokines in single animals throughout normal murine reproduction: estrus, diestrus, post coitum, preimplantation, implantation, mid-pregnancy, late pregnancy and post partum. Most cytokines were detectable throughout all stages studied. Modest changes in profile were associated with estrous cyclicity and early pregnancy while virtually all cytokine levels increased markedly in mid- to late pregnancy and either fell slightly or levelled off post partum. The functional interrelationships between the various cytokines and the hormonal milieu are discussed with respect to gestational stage. Although certain profiles supported the 'conventional' Th1:Th2 cytokine paradigm of pregnancy, many of the changes recorded were orchestrated around IL-12 (p40) and (p70). The present findings suggest that the traditional cytokine dichotomy poorly describes complex immunological processes like pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Research Group, Academic Unit of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, D Floor, Clarendon Wing, Leeds General Infirmary, Belmont Grove, Leeds LS2 9NS, UK. n.m.orsi@leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Orsi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gopichandran
authors.forename: U V
authors.initials: UV
authors.lastname: Ekbote
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000097:blood; D007118:Immunoassay; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood; D051379:Mice; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D018925:Chemokines; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; C475895:Cxcl1 protein, mouse; D016207:Cytokines; D007378:Interleukins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; C074302:keratinocyte-derived chemokines; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma