Smoking during pregnancy influences the maternal immune response in mice and humans

Jelmer R Prins, Machteld N Hylkema, Jan Jaap H. M. Erwich, Sippie Huitema, Gerjan J Dekkema, Frank E Dijkstra, Marijke M Faas, Barbro N Melgert

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)
24 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: During pregnancy the maternal immune system has to adapt its response to accommodate the fetus. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of smoking on the maternal immune system.

STUDY DESIGN: First-trimester decidual tissue and peripheral blood of smoking and nonsmoking women were analyzed by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry. A mouse model was used to further analyze the effects of smoking. Murine tissue was analyzed by flow cytometry, real-time RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS: Smoking caused lower percentages of viable pups in mice and lower birthweights in humans. Smoking mothers, both mice and human, had more natural killer cells and inflammatory macrophages locally, whereas systemically they had lower percentages of regulatory T cells than nonsmoking controls.

CONCLUSION: Maternal smoke exposure during pregnancy influences local and systemic immune responses in both women and mice. Such changes may be involved in adverse pregnancy outcomes in smoking individuals.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberARTN 76.e1
Pages (from-to)76-76
JournalAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume207
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul-2012

Keywords

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Decidua
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Infant, Low Birth Weight
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Killer Cells, Natural
  • Lymph Nodes
  • Macrophages
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Models, Animal
  • Pregnancy
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Smoking
  • Spleen
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

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