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Isolation of Leukocytes from the Human Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: May 21, 2015
Pregnancy in patients with rheumatic disease: anti-inflammatory cytokines increase in pregnancy and decrease post
M Østensen1, F Förger, J L Nelson
1Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology and Allergy, University Hospital, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland. monika.oestensen@insel.ch
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|November 13, 2004
Summary
Pregnancy impacts cytokine levels, with increased anti-inflammatory mediators like IL1Ra and sTNFR observed in pregnant patients with inflammatory arthritis. These changes correlate with disease activity, suggesting a role in managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Rheumatology
- Reproductive Medicine
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are chronic inflammatory conditions.
- Pregnancy can alter immune system function and cytokine profiles.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for managing inflammatory diseases during pregnancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in circulating cytokines, focusing on the Th1/Th2 balance.
- To examine cytokine profiles during and after pregnancy in patients with RA, JIA, and AS.
- To correlate cytokine levels with disease activity in pregnant patients.
Main Methods:
- Plasma and serum samples analyzed from pregnant patients (RA, JIA, AS), healthy pregnant women, non-pregnant patients, and healthy non-pregnant women.
- Quantification of interferon gamma (IFNγ), interleukin (IL) 1β, IL10, IL1 receptor antagonist (IL1Ra), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR), and soluble CD30 (sCD30) using ELISA.
- Clinical assessments and cytokine measurements performed during each trimester and at 6, 12, and 24 weeks postpartum.
Main Results:
- IFNγ and IL10 levels were low or undetectable.
- Significantly higher concentrations of sTNFR and IL1Ra were found in pregnant subjects compared to non-pregnant subjects.
- Increased IL1Ra from the second to third trimester correlated with improved disease activity in RA and AS patients.
- RA patients exhibited markedly elevated sCD30 levels during pregnancy compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Th1 (IFNγ) and Th2 (IL10) response markers were largely undetectable.
- Elevated levels of cytokine inhibitors (IL1Ra, sTNFR) are associated with pregnancy, independent of the underlying disease.
- These anti-inflammatory mediators appear to influence disease activity in pregnant patients with inflammatory arthritis.
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