PrePregnancy Levels of Peripheral Natural Killer

Authors: Ruben J Kuon Franziska Müller Kilian Vomstein Maja Weber Hannes Hudalla Sabine Rösner Thomas Strowitzki Udo Markert Volker Daniel Bettina Toth

Publish Date: 2017/03/11

Volume: 65, Issue: 4, Pages: 339-346

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Abstract

Immunological risk factors in patients with recurrent miscarriage RM are discussed controversially Abnormalities of natural killer cells NK have been described in RM patients Lipid infusions are known to modulate lymphocyte subsets The aim of this study was to identify immune parameters that predict success of treatment with lipid infusions in RM patients with elevated NK In sum n = 341 couples with RM were screened for established risk factors and peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations as well as uterine NK cells We identified n = 136 patients with ≥ 2 consecutive RM and elevated NK So far n = 40 RM patients with NK disorders were treated with lipid infusions starting at positive pregnancy test every 2 weeks until 12 + 0 weeks of gestation GW or miscarriage The prepregnancy immune diagnostics in idiopathic RM iRM patients with ongoing pregnancy were compared to the group with miscarriages and healthy controls n = 15 Prepregnancy immune diagnostics differed significantly between the groups with significant higher levels of peripheral NK and /µL in iRM patients who miscarried again compared to controls p = 00035 and p = 00019 Furthermore iRM patients show lower percentages of CD3+ lymphocytes than healthy controls p = 00049 In n = 22/40 55 patients pregnancy is ongoing 12 + 0 GW RM patients with very high prepregnancy peripheral NK pNK lymphocytes might not benefit from lipid infusions Prepregnancy immunomodulatory treatment in RM patients might be helpful to lower pNK levels and establish an immune environment which is supportive for fetal developmentAll procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards

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