Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The effect of pregnancy on polymorphonuclear leukocyte function

S P Crouch1, I P Crocker, J Fletcher

  • 1Medical Research Centre, City Hospital NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)
|December 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Pregnancy reduces polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) respiratory burst activity, impacting inflammatory responses. This finding may explain symptom remission in rheumatoid arthritis during pregnancy.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Modification and validation of the Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) for assessing surgical site infection in wounds healing by secondary intention.

Journal of tissue viability·2025
Same author

Comparison of traditional aseptic technique versus standard aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT) in training patients to manage home parenteral support - A single centre cohort study.

Clinical nutrition ESPEN·2025
Same author

A comparative study of target fabrication strategies for microgram muonic atom spectroscopy.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Evidence-based guidelines for anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome in children and youth: A rapid review.

Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent·2024
Same author

Consumers lived experiences and satisfaction with sub-acute mental health residential services.

Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology·2024
Same author

Poor patient outcome correlates with active engulfment of cytokeratin positive CTCs within cancer-associated monocyte population in lung cancer.

Clinical & experimental metastasis·2024

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Obstetrics
  • Rheumatology

Background:

  • Pregnancy is known to modulate immune responses.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms often improve during pregnancy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of pregnancy on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) respiratory burst activity.
  • To explore potential mechanisms behind pregnancy-induced immune suppression relevant to inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

Main Methods:

  • Isolated PMNs from pregnant women (30-34 weeks gestation) and nonpregnant controls.
  • Measured respiratory burst activity using lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (LUCL) in response to FMLP and zymosan-activated serum (ZAS).
  • Assessed intracellular H2O2 production, adhesion molecule expression (CD11b, CD18, CD62L), and formyl peptide receptor expression.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • PMNs from pregnant women showed significantly reduced LUCL responses to FMLP (54% reduction) and ZAS (69% reduction) compared to controls.
  • Intracellular H2O2 production was significantly lower in pregnant women's PMNs.
  • Loss of CD62L expression upon stimulation was reduced in pregnant women's PMNs.
  • No differences in CD11b, CD18, or formyl peptide receptor expression were observed, but cytokine priming showed reduced LUCL responses in pregnancy PMNs.

Conclusions:

  • Pregnancy is associated with reduced PMN NADPH-oxidase activity.
  • These immune alterations during pregnancy may contribute to the observed remission of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.