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Abstract
Background
Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is defined as the occurrence of three or more consecutive spontaneous abortion before 20 gestational weeks. But, 40–50% of RSA still remain “unexplained”. Cytokines seem to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of unexplained RSA, and Th1 cytokines have been shown to exert deleterious effects on pregnancy. NK cytotoxicity has been reported to be predictive of subsequent abortion in women who had unexplained recurrent abortions. The aim of this study was to investigate immunophenotypic characteristics of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and evaluate Th1 cytokine (TNF-α) production in women with RSA.
Methods
The study group comprised 93 women with RSA, and the control group consisted of 40 healthy pregnant women. The population of CD56/CD16 cells was observed by using a two-color scattergram in FACScan (Becton Dickinson, San Jose CA, USA). Concentration of TNF-α was measured by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay (ELISA) using commercial kits (NEOGEN corporation, Lexington KY, USA).
Results
The percentage of CD56+/CD16-cells were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the patients with RSA (13.40±7.95%) than in the pregnant control group (9.12 ± 3.93%). We observed a significantly higher level of TNF-α (medians: 85.59 ± 8.29 pg/mL versus 44.80 ± 9.78 pg/mL; P<0.05) in RSA women compared to controls.
References
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Fig. 1.
Two color flow cytometric analysis of peripheral mononuclear cells from recurrent spontaneous abortion and control individuals. The X-axis represents the CD56-PE and the y-axis the CD16-FITC. The percentage in the upper right represents the CD56+/CD16+ mononuclear cells, and the lower right quadrant represents the percentage of CD56+/CD16-mononuclear cells. Abbreviation: RSA, recurrent spontaneous abortion.
Fig. 2.
Distribution of TNF-alpha concentration in controls individuals and patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion. Median is indicated on the graph with a line.
Table 1.
Mononuclear cells in patients with a history of recurrent abortions and in control individuals
| Mononuclear cells | RSA patients (n=93) % positive MN cells | Controls (n=40) % positive MN cells | Significance (P)† |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD56+ | 23.78±8.59* | 23.60±6.33 | NS |
| CD16+ | 12.38±6.73 | 19.39±8.30 | NS |
| CD56+/CD16+ | 10.40±6.61 | 14.35±5.21 | P<0.05 |
| CD56+/CD16- | 13.40±7.95 | 9.12±3.93 | P<0.05 |
| CD56-/CD16+ | 1.99±1.35 | 5.06±4.27 | NS |
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