title: Increased CD56(+) NK cells and enhanced Th1 responses in human unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion.
abstract: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is reported to be associated with immune imbalance at the maternal-fetal interface. Immune cells in the decidual tissue are involved in maintaining immune tolerance during pregnancy; however, whether natural killer (NK) and T cells are altered in unexplained RSA (URSA) remains unknown. In this study, we compared the number and percentage of CD56(+) NK cells, CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells by flow cytometry in 30 URSA patients and 30 normal pregnant controls. We found that there are a higher proportion of CD4(+) T cells and CD16(+)CD56(+) NK cells and a lower number of CD8(+) T cells in the decidual tissue of URSA patients compared to normal controls. In addition, the number of T helper type 1 (Th1) cells and the Th1/Th2 ratio were higher in URSA patients compared to normal pregnant controls. In conclusion, our results indicate that the changes in the proportion of local T lymphocyte subsets, NK and Th1 cells, in the maternal-fetal interface may be related to occurrence of URSA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D033261:Maternal-Fetal Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D019002:CD56 Antigen; C522918:NCAM1 protein, human