T-LYMPHOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS AND LYMPHOCYTE PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY IN NORMAL AND PREECLAMPTIC PREGNANCY

The purpose of this study was to assess whether any changes occur in t he cellular immunity in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancy. T lymphocy te subpopulations and the lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitoge ns (PHA, Con A, PWM) in the fetal calf serum were examined in normal p regnant and pre-eclamptic primiparas in the third trimester of pregnan cy. In normal pregnancy the absolute and percentage numbers of CD3+ an d CD4+ T cells were significantly lower and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio almost halved, in comparison with non-pregnant subjects. In the pre-eclampti c women a decreased absolute and percentage content of CD8+ T cells an d increased percentage of CD3+ and CD4+ lymphocytes were found - in co mparison with the normal pregnant women - which led to an almost 2.5-f old increase of the CD4+/CD8+ ratio. No disorders were found in the ly mphocyte proliferative responses to mitogens in either normal or pre-e clamptic pregnancy. We conclude that despite the shifts among T lympho cyte subsets, mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation presents its fu nctional stability and unchanged reactivity in normal and preeclamptic pregnancy.