title: Preserved ex vivo inflammatory status in decidual cells from women with preterm labor and subclinical intrauterine infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the inflammatory response preserved ex vivo by decidual cells isolated from women who experienced preterm labor with and without subclinical intrauterine infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fetal membranes were obtained after cesarean section from 35 women who delivered before 37 weeks of gestation following spontaneous preterm labor, with no clinical evidence of intrauterine infection. Decidua was microbiologically tested and cultured. Concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9) were measured in the supernatants using Bio-Plex, and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) was measured by enzyme immunoassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subclinical infection was confirmed in 10 women (28.5%). Microorganisms isolated were Ureaplasma urealyticum (4), group B streptococci (3), Gardnerella vaginalis (1), and Escherichia coli (2). We found a significant increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines and a significant decrease of anti-inflammatory cytokines in supernatants from decidual cells obtained from women with preterm labor and subclinical intrauterine infection compared to women without infection. Secretion of MMP-1, MMP-8, MMP-9 and PGE(2) was significantly higher in infected women. Secretion of IL-8 by decidual cells from infected women persisted upon repeated in vitro culture passages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost 30% of idiopathic preterm labor cases were associated with subclinical intrauterine infection, and decidual cells isolated from these cases preserved an ex vivo inflammatory status after in vivo bacterial exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectology, Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Castro-Leyva
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Espejel-Nuñez
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barroso
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zaga-Clavellina
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flores-Pliego
authors.forename: Iyari
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morales-Mendez
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giono-Cerezo
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Estrada-Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003656:Decidua / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016209:Interleukin-8; D011453:Prostaglandins; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases