Isolation and Immunophenotyping of Leukocytes from the Human Maternal-Fetal Interface

During human pregnancy, leukocytes that infiltrate the maternal-fetal interface play a major role in establishing a delicate balance between immune tolerance and functional response and setting the inflammatory process that leads to labor. Here we describe two methods for isolating immune cells from the chorioamniotic membranes (decidua parietalis) and placental blood (decidua basalis) that combine gentle enzymatic digestion, magnetic cell sorting, and density gradient. Isolated leukocytes can be immunophenotypified by flow cytometry, and both isolation methods are compatible with downstream cellular and molecular applications, such as cell culture, transcriptome, and proteome analyses.