Cyclosporine A enhances Th2 bias at the maternal-fetal interface in early human pregnancy with aid of the interaction between maternal and fetal cells

PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e45275. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045275. Epub 2012 Sep 27.

Abstract

Our previous study has demonstrated that cyclosporine A (CsA) administration in vivo induces Th2 bias at the maternal-fetal interface, leading to improved murine pregnancy outcomes. Here, we investigated how CsA treatment in vitro induced Th2 bias at the human maternal-fetal interface in early pregnancy. The cell co-culture in vitro in different combination of component cells at the maternal-fetal interface was established to investigate the regulation of CsA on cytokine production from the interaction of these cells. It was found that interferon (IFN)-γ was produced only by decidual immune cells (DICs), and not by trophoblasts or decidual stromal cells (DSCs); all these cells secreted interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Treatment with CsA completely blocked IFN-γ production in DICs and inhibited TNF-α production in all examined cells. CsA increased IL-10 and IL-4 production in trophoblasts co-cultured with DSCs and DICs although CsA treatment did not affect IL-10 or IL-4 production in any of the cells when cultured alone. These results suggest that CsA promotes Th2 bias at the maternal-fetal interface by increasing Th2-type cytokine production in trophoblasts with the aid of DSCs and DICs, while inhibiting Th1-type cytokine production in DICs and TNF-α production in all investigated cells. Our study might be useful in clinical therapeutics for spontaneous pregnancy wastage and other pregnancy complications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cell Communication
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Cyclosporine / pharmacology*
  • Decidua / cytology
  • Decidua / drug effects
  • Decidua / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / pharmacology*
  • Interferon-gamma / biosynthesis
  • Interleukin-10 / biosynthesis
  • Interleukin-4 / biosynthesis
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Trimester, First
  • Th1 Cells / cytology
  • Th1 Cells / drug effects
  • Th1 Cells / metabolism*
  • Th1-Th2 Balance
  • Th2 Cells / cytology
  • Th2 Cells / drug effects
  • Th2 Cells / metabolism*
  • Trophoblasts / cytology
  • Trophoblasts / drug effects
  • Trophoblasts / metabolism*
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / biosynthesis

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Cyclosporine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Major International Joint Research Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) 30730087, NSFC 30872768, and the Program for Outstanding Medical Academic Leader (All to D-JL), NSFC 81070537, NSFC 31171437, and Shanghai PuJiang Talent Program 10PJ1401600 (to M-RD), and the Natural Science Research Program for colleges and universities of Jiangsu Province 10KJB320021 (to RZ). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.