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Updated: Apr 29, 2026

Isolation of Leukocytes from the Human Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: May 21, 2015
Circulating cytokines and alarmins associated with placental inflammation in high-risk pregnancies
Sylvie Girard1, Alexander E P Heazell, Hayley Derricott
1Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, St. Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Problem:
Inflammation during pregnancy has devastating consequences for the placenta and fetus. These events are incompletely understood, thereby hampering screening and treatment.
Method Of Study:
The inflammatory profile of villous tissue was studied in pregnancies at high-risk of placental dysfunction and compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. The systemic inflammatory profile was assessed in matched maternal serum samples in cases of reduced fetal movements (RFM).
Results:
Placentas from RFM pregnancies had a unique inflammatory profile characterized by increased interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist and decreased IL-10 expression, concomitant with increased numbers of placental macrophages. This aberrant cytokine profile was evident in maternal serum in RFM, as were increased levels of alarmins (uric acid, HMGB1, cell-free fetal DNA).
Conclusion:
This distinct inflammatory profile at the maternal-fetal interface, mirrored in maternal serum, could represent biomarkers of placental inflammation and could offer novel therapeutic options to protect the placenta and fetus from an adverse maternal environment.
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