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The Etiological Role of Allogeneic Fetal Rejection in Pre‐Eclampsia
Author(s) -
Nishizawa Haruki,
Hasegawa Kiyoshi,
Suzuki Machiko,
Kamoshida Shingo,
Kato Takema,
Saito Kuniaki,
Tsutsumi Yutaka,
Kurahashi Hiroki,
Udagawa Yasuhiro
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 1046-7408
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2007.00484.x
Subject(s) - eclampsia , etiology , fetus , placenta , medicine , pregnancy , preeclampsia , indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase , immunology , biology , biochemistry , tryptophan , genetics , amino acid
Problem It has been demonstrated that allogeneic fetal rejection in normal pregnancy is prevented by placental indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO). Further, an immunological etiology has been implicated in pre‐eclampsia. Method of study We examined the differences in placental IDO activity between normal and pre‐eclamptic pregnancies. Results IDO mRNA expression and enzyme activity levels in the placenta were low in patients with severe pre‐eclampsia. The enzyme activity also inversely correlates with the blood pressure of the patients. In the placentas from severe pre‐eclampsia, IDO immunoreactivity was low, whereas regional T‐cell infiltration was observed reciprocally proportional to the IDO activity. Conclusion Our findings implicate a potential role for IDO activity and a maternal immunological reaction against an allogeneic fetus in the etiology of pre‐eclampsia.