Lima Jorge, Martins Catarina, Nunes Glória, Sousa Maria-José, Branco Jorge C, Borrego Luís-Miguel
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CUF Descobertas Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal.
2 Department of Immunology, Chronic Diseases Research Center (CEDOC), Faculty of Medical Sciences, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal.
Reprod Sci. 2017 Jul;24(7):1025-1032. doi: 10.1177/1933719116676395. Epub 2016 Nov 14.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical immunomodulators during early pregnancy by preventing maternal T-cell activation against fetal cells. However, how populations of maternal Tregs vary during and after pregnancy in humans is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated Treg subsets in the peripheral blood of pregnant women from late pregnancy through the postpartum period. To accomplish this, the following circulating Treg subsets were analyzed in 43 healthy pregnant women and 35 nonpregnant women by flow cytometry during the third trimester, on the day of delivery, and postpartum: CD4CD25, CD4CD25Foxp3, and CD4CD25CD127. Additionally, the expression levels of the transcription factor Foxp3 in CD4CD25 Treg were analyzed. We have found that CD4CD25 Treg subset significantly decreased in the pregnant women on the day of delivery relative to the third trimester ( P < .05), and that all Treg subsets significantly increased postpartum compared to the third trimester and the day of delivery ( P < .05). Moreover, the Foxp3 expression ratios within the CD4CD25 Treg subset decreased during pregnancy and until delivery compared to those measured in the nonpregnant women and significantly increased postpartum compared to the third trimester and the day of delivery ( P < .05). Thus, despite their established role in offering immunoprotection to the fetus in early pregnancy, the number of circulating Tregs also varies from late pregnancy to the postpartum period. Our results offer an explanation for the possible effects of pregnancy on the clinical outcomes of some autoimmune diseases during the postpartum period.
调节性T细胞（Tregs）在妊娠早期是关键的免疫调节因子，可防止母体T细胞针对胎儿细胞的激活。然而，人类孕期及产后母体Tregs群体如何变化仍不清楚。因此，我们研究了孕妇从妊娠晚期到产后外周血中的Treg亚群。为实现这一目标，在妊娠晚期、分娩日及产后，通过流式细胞术分析了43名健康孕妇和35名非孕妇的以下循环Treg亚群：CD4CD25、CD4CD25Foxp3和CD4CD25CD127。此外，还分析了CD4CD25 Treg中转录因子Foxp3 的表达水平。我们发现，与妊娠晚期相比，孕妇在分娩日的CD4CD25 Treg亚群显著减少（P <.05），并且与妊娠晚期和分娩日相比，所有Treg亚群在产后均显著增加（P <.05）。此外，与非孕妇相比，CD4CD25 Treg亚群内的Foxp3表达率在孕期直至分娩期间降低，与妊娠晚期和分娩日相比，产后显著增加（P <.05）。因此，尽管Tregs在妊娠早期为胎儿提供免疫保护方面已确立其作用，但循环Tregs的数量从妊娠晚期到产后也有所变化。我们的结果为妊娠对产后某些自身免疫性疾病临床结局的可能影响提供了解释。
