title: Can oxygen tension contribute to an abnormal placental cytokine milieu?
abstract: OBJECTIVE  The aim of this study was to determine whether culturing human placental explants under different oxygen tensions will alter expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators. METHODS  Placental explant cultures from second-trimester, elective, terminations-of-pregnancy were incubated under 21, 5, or 1% O(2) concentrations for 24 hr in the presence or absence of IL-10. Cytokine concentrations in the conditioned medium were quantified by immunoassay. RESULTS  Culture of placental explants under 21, 5, or 1% O(2) concentrations produced hyperoxic (143 ± 1.6 mmHg), normoxic (37 ± 1.6 mmHg), and hypoxic (18.2 ± 1.6 mmHg) pO(2) levels for the maternal-fetal interface in the medium. Oxygen tension had profound effects on basal placental cytokine levels as well as on IL-10-stimulated cytokine production. IL-1β and TNF-α, but not IFN-γ production, was reduced by 21% O(2) . Moreover, 21% O(2) levels increased the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-13 while 1% O(2) tended to decrease the production of these cytokines. CONCLUSIONS  Five percent- O(2) incubation more accurately represents in vivo pO(2) conditions at the maternal-fetal interface. Routine culture of placental explants in room air produces a superphysiologic oxygen tension that tended to increase the production of anti-inflammatory and decrease the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, low pO(2) may reduce responsiveness of the placenta to the anti-inflammatory actions of IL-10.
authors.affiliation: Women and Children's Research Laboratory, Mineola, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Morgan R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Peltier
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gurzenda
authors.forename: Amitasrigowri
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: Kiranpreet
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chawala
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: Ishita
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kharode
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arita
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Nisreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maari
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moawad
authors.forename: Nazeeh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hanna
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D018496:Hyperoxia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007118:Immunoassay; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000276:immunology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018793:Interleukin-13; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D010100:Oxygen