Elevated inflammatory mediators from the maternal-fetal interface to fetal circulation during labor

• Published in: Cytokine (Philadelphia, Pa.) Pa.), 2021-12, Vol.148, p.155707-155707, Article 155707
• Main Authors: Huang, Qian, Jin, Xiaolong, Li, Pin, Zheng, Zheng, Jiang, Yanmin, Liu, Huishu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Blood Circulation - physiology; Female; Fetal circulation; Fetus - physiology; Humans; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators - blood; Labor; Labor, Obstetric; Maternal-Fetal Exchange - immunology; Maternal-Fetal Exchange - physiology; Maternal-fetal interface; Myometrium; Pregnancy
• ISSN: 1043-4666; 1096-0023
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2021.155707

•Inflammatory mediators up regulated in maternal-fetal interface during labor.•Maternal-fetal interface should also include the uterine and fetal circulation.•Elevated maternal inflammatory factors could enter the fetal circulation during labor. Elevated cytokines, like IL-1βand IL-6, are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of labor. However, the change of inflammatory mediators in maternal-fetal interface to fetal circulation is obscure. Study design and methods: We investigated the changes of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and macrophage in maternal-fetal interface tissues and fetal circulation of women in labor vs. non-labor. Human myometrium, placenta, decidua, fetal membrane and umbilical blood were obtained from in-labor and non-in-labor women who eventually delivered live, singleton infants at term (>37 weeks gestation) by elective caesarean section. Luminex was used to measure the level of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8) and chemokines (MCP-1, GM-CSF, MIP-1α, MIP-1β) in each sample (tissue and umbilical blood). Macrophage infiltration was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. During labor, the level of cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 and chemokine MCP-1 and MIP-1β in myometrium is significantly higher (p