[A study on the ability of leukocytes in the cervical mucus of pregnant women to produce superoxide anions using the histochemical nitroblue tetrazolium reduction test].

We performed the histochemical nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction test for leukocytes in cervical mucus and peripheral blood in women in pregnancy to investigate the leukocyte functions in the uterine cervix during pregnancy. The results were as follows. (1) With regard to leukocytes in cervical mucus, the proportion of NBT positive leukocytes was significantly highest in women in the third trimester and was higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women. (2) With regard to leukocytes in peripheral blood, the ability of leukocytes to reduce NBT in pregnant women was significantly greater than that of leukocytes in non-pregnant women. These results suggest that the bactericidal activity of leukocytes in cervical mucus during pregnancy is probably more accelerated than that of leukocytes during non-pregnancy.