title: Tumor necrosis factor-α and pregnancy complications: a prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in normal pregnancies and pregnancies with complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells from women with a recurrent spontaneous miscarriage (n = 35), premature rupture of fetal membranes (n = 30), preeclampsia (n = 27) and intrauterine fetal growth retardation (IUGR; n = 36) were stimulated with mitogen or antigen, and the levels of TNF-α produced were compared to those produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a normal pregnancy (n = 35).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median levels of mitogen-induced TNF-α at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester, and at normal delivery were 1,176.4, 4,320.9, 7,307.4 and 2,463.0 pg/ml, respectively, while those produced in the recurrent spontaneous miscarriage, premature rupture of membranes and preeclampsia cases were 4,159.8, 3,489.5 and 4,149.2 pg/ml, respectively. The differences were statistically significantly higher in these pregnancy complications (p = 0.04, 0.024 and 0.014) as compared to the levels in normal pregnancy. Furthermore, antigen-induced TNF-α levels were produced at statistically significantly higher levels by women with IUGR (120.4 pg/ml) compared to women with normal pregnancies (17.9 pg/ml; p = 0.041).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher levels of TNF-α seem to play a role in these pregnancy complications, suggesting its pathogenesis in such conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Gulf University for Science and Technology, West Mishref, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Fawaz Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Azizieh
authors.forename: Raj G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Raghupathy
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha