title: Smoking during pregnancy influences the maternal immune response in mice and humans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  During pregnancy the maternal immune system has to adapt its response to accommodate the fetus. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of smoking on the maternal immune system.
  
  
  METHODS
  First-trimester decidual tissue and peripheral blood of smoking and nonsmoking women were analyzed by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry. A mouse model was used to further analyze the effects of smoking. Murine tissue was analyzed by flow cytometry, real-time RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smoking caused lower percentages of viable pups in mice and lower birthweights in humans. Smoking mothers, both mice and human, had more natural killer cells and inflammatory macrophages locally, whereas systemically they had lower percentages of regulatory T cells than nonsmoking controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal smoke exposure during pregnancy influences local and systemic immune responses in both women and mice. Such changes may be involved in adverse pregnancy outcomes in smoking individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jelmer R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Prins
authors.forename: Machteld N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hylkema
authors.forename: Jan Jaap H M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Erwich
authors.forename: Sippie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huitema
authors.forename: Gerjan J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Dekkema
authors.forename: Frank E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Dijkstra
authors.forename: Marijke M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Faas
authors.forename: Barbro N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Melgert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003656:Decidua / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D023421:Models, Animal; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers