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Published on: February 14, 2011
Intramuscular 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate administration attenuates immunoresponsiveness of maternal peripheral
Lisa M Foglia1, Danielle L Ippolito, Jonathan D Stallings
1Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Tacoma, WA, USA. lisa.foglia@us.army.mil
Objective:
17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) may decrease risk of prematurity by suppressing maternal immunity. We hypothesized that in vivo 17P treatment attenuates immunoresponsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
Study Design:
Study subjects were gravidas receiving weekly prophylactic intramuscular 17P injections. Peripheral blood samples were obtained at 21-27 weeks' gestation. Gestational age-matched, drug-naïve gravidas served as controls. To simulate infection, isolated PBMCs were stimulated with lipoteichoic acid (LTA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Extracellular interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations were quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results:
Unstimulated IL-6 levels were comparable in PBMCs derived from drug-naïve and 17P-treated subjects. LPS and LTA induced a dose-dependent elevation of IL-6 in control PBMCs. In patients who received exogenous 17P, LPS, and LTA stimulated induction of IL-6 was significantly decreased compared with controls (P = .005 and P = .02).
Conclusion:
In vivo 17P attenuated immunoreactivity of PBMCs in our in vitro model of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial infection.
