Prospective association of maternal immune pro-inflammatory responsivity and regulation in pregnancy with length of gestation

Lauren E. Gyllenhammer, Sonja Entringer, Claudia Buss, Hyagriv N. Simhan, William A. Grobman, Emma K. Adam, Lauren Slubowski Keenan-Devlin, Ann E. Borders, Pathik D. Wadhwa*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Problem: The immune system represents a leading pathway of interest in the pathophysiology of preterm birth. The majority of human clinical studies interrogating this pathway have utilized circulating immune biomarkers; however, these concentrations typically reflect only basal production but not key functional properties of the immune system, particularly variation in the pro-inflammatory response to antigen challenge and the regulation of this response. Thus, in this study, we utilized an ex vivo stimulation protocol that quantifies these processes, and we examined their prospective association with the gestation length and risk of preterm birth. Method of Study: Immune responsiveness and regulation were assessed in 128 pregnant women in mid-gestation using an ex vivo stimulation protocol. Maternal pro-inflammatory responsivity of leukocytes was quantified by assessing the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in response to antigen stimulation, and regulation of the pro-inflammatory response was quantified by assessing the suppression of stimulated cytokine response upon co-incubation with increasing dexamethasone concentrations (ie, glucocorticoid receptor resistance; GRR). Results: Higher maternal GRR, indicating impaired regulation of the pro-inflammatory response, was significantly and independently associated with shorter gestational length (β = −0.42, p =.0091) and a 3.0-fold increase in risk for preterm birth (OR = 3.01, 95% CI = 1.17–7.70, p =.0218). Basal circulating IL-6 and TNF-α were not associated with either outcome. Conclusion: The association of maternal GRR with length of gestation and preterm birth risk suggests that the processes represented by this measure—maternal pro-inflammatory propensity and immune regulation—may provide further mechanistic insight into the pathophysiology of preterm birth.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere13366
JournalAmerican Journal of Reproductive Immunology
Volume85
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by NIH HHSN275201200007I‐‐HHSN27500005. The preparation of this paper was additionally supported by NIH grants R01 MD‐010738, R01 AG‐050455 and K99/R00 HD097302. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Keywords

  • cortisol
  • glucocorticoid resistance
  • inflammation
  • interleukin-1 beta
  • interleukin-6
  • length of gestation
  • preterm birth
  • tumor necrosis factor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology

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