Premium
The Effects of Indomethacin Administration During Pregnancy on Womens' and Newborns' T‐Suppressor Lymphocyte Activity and on HLA Class II Expression by Newborns' Leukocytes
Author(s) -
DURANDY ANNE,
BRAMI CHARLES,
GRISCELLI CLAUDE
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology and microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 8755-8920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0897.1985.tb00316.x
Subject(s) - human leukocyte antigen , fetus , pregnancy , medicine , lymphocyte , prostaglandin , suppressor , antigen , endocrinology , immunology , endocrine system , biology , hormone , cancer , genetics
It has been previously shown that T lymphocytes from human newborns and pregnant women exert a suppressive activity when assayed on the PWM‐induced B cell maturation. The mechanisms of the suppression have remained entirely unknown. Prostaglandin E 2 , known to trigger T‐cell mediated suppressive activity, may be involved. We took advantage of the treatment of pregnant women with indomethacin, because of premature labor or hydramnios, to investigate the role of prostaglandins in the activation of T suppressor (TS) activity. Administration of indomethacin (250 mg/day for 1–7 weeks, then 150 mg/day for 3–12 weeks) during the third trimester of pregnancy, abrogated the TS activity in the nine women and the three newborns tested. Abrogation of TS activity by indomethacin therapy led to normal PWM‐induced B cell maturation in pregnant women but not in newborns. Moreover, the low expression of HLA class II antigens observed on normal newborn B lymphocytes and monocytes was corrected in newborns from indomethacin‐treated mothers. Our results strongly suggest that prostaglandins may play a role in induction of TS activity observed in normal pregnant women and newborns and in the decreased expression of HLA class II antigens on newborns' leucocytes. Both phenomena could play a role in immunological interactions between mother and fetus.