Modulations of Cytokine Expression in Pregnant Women

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Abstract
Although the overall anti-infectious and anti-parasitic immunity of parous women appears normal, several aspects of maternal cell-mediated and humoral immunity are altered during pregnancy. This has been suggested to occur via preferential local and systemic secretion of Th-2 type cytokines, which down-regulate or prevent secretion/action of Th-1 type cytokines, in animals as well as in humans. To evaluate the influence of gestation on the maternal immune system, we have measured, in pregnant women, the mRNAs coding for several cytokines (TNF alpha, IFN gamma, GM-CSF, IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, by use of semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Our results show significant modulations of IFN gamma, IL-1 beta, IL-4, and IL-6 genes expression especially during the third trimester and near parturition. Cytokine expression is thus finely tuned in peripheral blood during pregnancy, in a previously unexpected complex pattern, related to gestational stage.