Plasma antiviral activity and interferon-gamma production by superantigen-stimulated lymphocytes during normal human pregnancy

PROBLEM: Plasma interferon (IFN)-gamma levels, lymphocyte responsiveness, a nd evaluation of the relationship between circulating antiviral activity (A A) and IFN-gamma production were studied in pregnant women and nonpregnant age-matched controls with the objective of elucidating the downregulation o f IFN-gamma production in successful pregnancy. METHOD OF STUDY: In plasma and supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures, stimulated with staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) s uperantigen, from 43 pregnant women with a history of normal pregnancy and 30 healthy nonpregnant age-matched controls, levels of AA were measured in a micromethod by inhibition of the cytopathic effect (CPE) caused by vesicu lar stomatitis virus (VSV) in the human amnionic cell line (WISH). RESULTS: Significantly higher plasma AA (60% was IFN-gamma and residual act ivity was acid-labile IFN-like) was present in pregnant women than controls . On the other hand, SEA-activated PBMCs from pregnant women produced signi ficantly lower IFN-gamma levels than those of nonpregnant women. Furthermor e, maternal plasma AA levels correlated negatively with IFN-gamma productio n by SEA-stimulated PBMCs. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis that successful pregnancy requires downregulatio n of IFN-gamma is only partially sustained, suggesting that the immunology of pregnancy is more complex and that murine and human pregnancy have diffe rent cytokine profiles.