Pregnancy-induced expansion of regulatory T-lymphocytes may mediate protection to multiple sclerosis activity

• Published in: Immunology letters 2005-01, Vol.96 (2), p.195-201
• Main Authors: Sánchez-Ramón, Silvia, Navarro a, Joaquín, Aristimuño, Carol, Rodríguez-Mahou, Margarita, Bellón, José M a, Fernández-Cruz, Eduardo, Andrés, Clara de
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Antigens, CD - analysis; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Female; Humans; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Count; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - immunology; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - immunology; Pregnancy Trimesters - immunology; Regulatory T-lymphocytes; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; Tolerance
• ISSN: 0165-2478; 1879-0542
• DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2004.09.004

Pregnancy represents a physiological transitory state of immune tolerance to avoid the rejection of the foetus, and concomitantly of stabilisation of many autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Alterations in regulatory T-lymphocytes (T Reg) are known to be involved in organ-specific autoimmune disease pathophysiology. Our goal was to quantify CD4 +CD25 + and CD4 +CD25 hi+ T Reg and activated (CD4 +HLA-DR +CD38 +) T-lymphocytes during pregnancy and puerperium in 13 MS patients in comparison with healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women. During pregnancy, a progressive parallel increase in CD4 +CD25 + T-lymphocytes in healthy pregnants as well as MS pregnant patients was observed. The proportion of T Reg was significantly higher in all pregnants than in non-pregnant women ( p = 0.01), whereas no differences were observed neither in the percentages of total nor activated CD4 + T-lymphocytes. In MS patients, CD4 +CD25 + T-lymphocytes significantly decreased when comparing the third trimester with the puerperal period proportions ( p = 0.01), whereas CD4 +CD25 hi+ T-lymphocytes significantly increased ( p = 0.002). Our findings are consistent with the expansion of circulating regulatory CD4 +CD25 + T-lymphocytes pool with suppressive activity during normal pregnancy and in MS. A different pattern of CD4 +CD25 hi+ T-lymphocytes between healthy pregnants and MS women, which may represent relevant factors in the activity course of MS.