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Updated: Jun 4, 2026
Isolation and Th17 Differentiation of Naïve CD4 T Lymphocytes
Published on: September 26, 2013
Low serum interleukin-17 is associated with preterm delivery
Lene Hee1, Ida Kirkegaard, Ida Vogel
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark. lenehee@hotmail.com
Objective:
To study maternal serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) during normal pregnancy and evaluate the association with preterm delivery.
Design:
Prospective study.
Setting:
Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Population:
Three cohorts: (a) low-risk cohort of 1,069 women who had serum drawn in weeks 12 and 19, (b) subgroup of the low-risk cohort, consisting of 40 women, who had serum drawn at 12, 19, 26, 33 and 39 weeks of gestation and (c) a symptomatic cohort of 93 women admitted with symptoms of preterm delivery at a gestational age of 24(+ 0) weeks to 33(+ 6) weeks.
Methods:
Serum IL-17 determined by an in-house developed multiplex sandwich immunoassay.
Main Outcome Measures:
Preterm delivery <37(+0) weeks gestation.
Results:
Serum IL-17 did not change during normal pregnancy. At admission to hospital, women with preterm contractions had significantly decreased serum IL-17 as compared with normal pregnancies (median <4 [interquartile ranges, IQR, <4-10 pg/ml] vs. 174 pg/ml [IQR, 92 - 485 pg/ml]); this difference was enhanced and highly significant for women delivering preterm versus term (median <4 [IQR, <4-7.9 pg/ml] vs. median 6.0 [IQR, <4-221 pg/ml]; p-value 0.03). Serum IL-17 was also lower in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes. A slightly, but not statistically significant decrease was found in weeks 12 and 19 in low-risk women who subsequently delivered preterm.
Conclusion:
Maternal serum IL-17 may be involved in preterm delivery.
