Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026
A Plate-based Cytotoxicity Assay for the Assessment of Rat Placental Natural Killer Cell Cytolytic Function
Published on: June 2, 2019
Natural Killer Cell Reduction and Uteroplacental Vasculopathy
Michaela Golic1, Nadine Haase1, Florian Herse1
1From the Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany (M.G., N.H., F.H., A.W., A.B., F.C.L., L.P., D.N.M., R.D.); Department of Obstetrics (M.G., S.V., W.H.) and Department of Gynecology (M.G.), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Germany (M.G., N.H., F.H., A.W., A.B., F.C.L., L.P., S.V., D.N.M., R.D.); Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany (N.H., F.H., A.B., D.N.M.); Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Berlin Buch, Germany (A.W., F.C.L., L.P., R.D.); Department of Development and Regeneration, University Hospital Leuven, Belgium (L.V., R.P.); Department of Medical Biology, János Szentágothai Research Centre Pécs, University of Pécs Medical School, Hungary (A.B.); Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway (P.C.S., E.D.); Department of Multi-Disciplinary Laboratory Medicine and Medical Biochemistry, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway (P.C.S.); Clinic for Nephrology and Hypertension, Hannover Medical School, Germany (J.-K.P.); University of Oslo, Norway (P.A.-K., A.C.S.); Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oslo University Hospital, Norway (P.A.-K., A.C.S.); and Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin, Germany (R.D.).
Abstract:
Uterine natural killer cells are important for uteroplacental development and pregnancy maintenance. Their role in pregnancy disorders, such as preeclampsia, is unknown. We reduced the number of natural killer cells by administering rabbit anti-asialo GM1 antiserum in an established rat preeclamptic model (female human angiotensinogen×male human renin) and evaluated the effects at the end of pregnancy (day 21), compared with preeclamptic control rats receiving normal rabbit serum. In 100% of the antiserum-treated, preeclamptic rats (7/7), we observed highly degenerated vessel cross sections in the mesometrial triangle at the end of pregnancy. This maternal uterine vasculopathy was characterized by a total absence of nucleated/living cells in the vessel wall and perivascularly and prominent presence of fibrosis. Furthermore, there were no endovascular trophoblast cells within the vessel lumen. In the control, normal rabbit serum-treated, preeclamptic rats, only 20% (1/5) of the animals displayed such vasculopathy. We confirmed the results in healthy pregnant wild-type rats: after anti-asialo GM1 treatment, 67% of maternal rats displayed vasculopathy at the end of pregnancy compared with 0% in rabbit serum-treated control rats. This vasculopathy was associated with a significantly lower fetal weight in wild-type rats and deterioration of fetal brain/liver weight ratio in preeclamptic rats. Anti-asialo GM1 application had no influence on maternal hypertension and albuminuria during pregnancy. Our results show a new role of natural killer cells during hypertensive pregnancy in maintaining vascular integrity. In normotensive pregnancy, this integrity seems important for fetal growth.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:24Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
01:14Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...