The etiological role of allogeneic fetal rejection in pre-eclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
It has been demonstrated that allogeneic fetal rejection in normal pregnancy is prevented by placental indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Further, an immunological etiology has been implicated in pre-eclampsia.


METHODS
We examined the differences in placental IDO activity between normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies.


RESULTS
IDO mRNA expression and enzyme activity levels in the placenta were low in patients with severe pre-eclampsia. The enzyme activity also inversely correlates with the blood pressure of the patients. In the placentas from severe pre-eclampsia, IDO immunoreactivity was low, whereas regional T-cell infiltration was observed reciprocally proportional to the IDO activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings implicate a potential role for IDO activity and a maternal immunological reaction against an allogeneic fetus in the etiology of pre-eclampsia.
Nishizawa
Haruki
H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fujita Health University, School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan. nharuki@fujita-hu.ac.jp
Hasegawa
Kiyoshi
K
Suzuki
Machiko
M
Kamoshida
Shingo
S
Kato
Takema
T
Saito
Kuniaki
K
Tsutsumi
Yutaka
Y
Kurahashi
Hiroki
H
Udagawa
Yasuhiro
Y
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D050503:Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D050503:Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase