Variations in T-helper 17 and Regulatory T Cells during The Menstrual Cycle in Peripheral Blood of Women with Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion
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Updated: May 1, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Reproductive Immunology with a Protocol for the Quantitative Evaluation of Endometrial Immune Cells
Published on: October 13, 2023
Nasrin Sereshki1, Marjan Gharagozloo1, Vajihe Ostadi1
1Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Background:
Disorders in immune system regulation may result in pregnancy abnormalities such as recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). This study aims to determine the ratio of regulatory T (Treg) and T helper (Th) 17 cells in unexplained RSA (URSA) women during proliferative and secretory phases of their menstrual cycles compared to healthy non-pregnant women.
Materials And Methods:
In this case control study, 25 women with URSA and 35 healthy, non-pregnant women were enrolled. The percentage of Th17 and Treg cells in participants peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry.
Results:
The percentage of Th17 cells and their related cytokines in serum (IL-17A) were higher in the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycles of URSA women compared to the control women. However, a lower percentage of Treg cells and their related cytokines in serum, transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 and interleukin (IL)-10 were detected in the proliferative but not the secretory phase of the URSA group. The ratio of Th17/CD4+ Treg was higher in the URSA group than the control group. We observed an increased ratio of Th17/CD4+ Treg during the proliferative and secretory phases in URSA women.
Conclusion:
The imbalance between Th17 and Treg cells during the proliferative phase of menstrual cycles in the URSA group may be considered a cause for spontaneous abortion.
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