title: No direct effect of an elective caesarean section on the phenotypic and functional characteristics of maternal peripheral blood T lymphocytes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The short term effect of the caesarean delivery on the phenotypic and functional characteristics of the peripheral blood leukocytes of the mother is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We determined the composition and activation status of the maternal peripheral blood leukocytes isolated within 4h before and within 24h after elective caesarean delivery with neuraxial anaesthesia. Furthermore, we determined the proliferative and cytotoxic response of these leukocytes to several stimulators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences in the percentage of CD4+CD25bright and CD8+CD28- T cells or the expression of activation markers FoxP3, CD69 and HLA-DR were observed in peripheral blood drawn before caesarean delivery compared to after caesarean delivery. Also the alloreactive immune responses in samples taken before and after the caesarean delivery were similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that the phenotype and immune response of maternal peripheral blood T cells obtained before elective caesarean delivery are not different from those obtained after caesarean delivery. This knowledge will facilitate sample collection for future studies on the immune response in term pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Egmond
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van der Keur
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Beelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Scherjon
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. Electronic address: fhjclaas@lumc.nl.
authors.forename: F H J
authors.initials: FHJ
authors.lastname: Claas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002585:Cesarean Section; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009035:Mothers; D011247:Pregnancy; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D007519:Isoantigens
keywords: Delivery; Human; Immune response; Lymphocytes; Normal pregnancy