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Isolation of Leukocytes from the Murine Tissues at the Maternal-Fetal Interface
07:51

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Published on: May 21, 2015

Maternal-fetal interface immune regulation and placental development: From physiological remodeling to pathological

Haiou Yang1, Keyu Zhu1, Huiquan Wang1

  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Disease, Shanghai 200030, China; Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.

Journal of Reproductive Immunology
|August 15, 2026
PubMed

The maternal-fetal interface (MFI) serves as a crucial bidirectional crosstalk site between the mother and the developing fetus, wherein precisely orchestrated immune regulatory networks are indispensable for sustaining tolerance toward the semi-allogeneic fetus while concurrently defending effectively against pathogenic challenges. Excessive inflammatory activation can perturb immune homeostasis at the MFI, particularly during the first trimester, and can compromise placental development and function, thereby contributing to adverse pregnancy outcomes, including recurrent spontaneous abortion, preeclampsia of placental origin, and even aberrant embryonic development. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the cellular composition of the MFI and its dynamic relationship with placental development is fundamental to elucidating disease etiology and informing interventional research on placenta-related pregnancy complications. This review summarizes the major immune cell populations present at the MFI (namely T cells, decidual Natural Killer cells and decidual macrophages) and their functional characteristics, examines their roles in physiological placental formation and remodeling, and evaluates their associations with several common adverse pregnancy outcomes. Collectively, the findings highlight the central role of major maternal immune cells in establishing immune tolerance during early gestation and underscore the potential clinical value of immune profiling in predicting and managing adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords:
Immune cells，placental developmentMaternal–fetal interfacePregnancy

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