Premium
Peripheral Monocyte Expression of the Chemokine Receptors CCR 2, CCR 5 and CXCR 3 is Altered at Parturition in Healthy Women and in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Author(s) -
Björkander S.,
HeidariHamedani G.,
Bremme K.,
Gunnarsson I.,
Holmlund U.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/sji.12021
Subject(s) - chemokine , monocyte , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , immunology , basal (medicine) , receptor , pregnancy , trophoblast , secretion , medicine , stimulation , chemokine receptor , endocrinology , biology , placenta , fetus , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics , insulin
Monocytes are precursors of macrophages and recruited to the uterus throughout pregnancy to perform important immunological functions. In this study, we hypothesized that pregnant women have reduced peripheral monocyte expression of chemokine receptors and alterations in PBMC responses to microbial stimuli as an adaption to pregnancy and that these changes are less pronounced in women with autoimmunity. We therefore investigated the chemokine receptor expression, migratory behaviour and responses to microbial stimulation of peripheral monocytes from pregnant women at parturition ( n = 13) and from non‐pregnant women ( n = 9). In addition, we compared healthy pregnant women with women suffering from SLE ( n = 5), a condition with pronounced systemic inflammation increasing the risk for pregnancy complications. We demonstrate that peripheral monocytes are affected by pregnancy with reduced percentages of CCR 2+, CCR 5+ and CXCR 3+ monocytes of both classical ( CD 16−) and inflammatory ( CD 16+) subsets and that the trophoblast‐secreted chemokine CCL 2/ MCP ‐1 recruited monocytes of both subsets in vitro . Further, PBMC s from pregnant women had a divergent response to microbial stimulation with lower CCL 5/ RANTES and higher CCL 2/ MCP ‐1 secretion compared with non‐pregnant women. In addition, pregnant women had lower basal PBMC ‐secretion of CCL 5/ RANTES and higher basal secretion of IL ‐10 and CCL 2/ MCP ‐1. Interestingly, the women with SLE responded similar to pregnancy as did healthy women with lower percentages of CCR 2+, CCR 5+ and CXCR 3+ monocytes. However, they had increased expression of CCR 5 on CD 16+ monocytes and heightened PBMC ‐secretion of CCL 5/ RANTES . In conclusion, our data indicate that monocyte chemokine receptor expression and the chemokine milieu during pregnancy are tightly regulated to support pregnancy.