Miscarriage Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Miscarriage, including details on signs, symptoms, recurrent, pregnancy. | ||||||||
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Modulation of cytokine production by dydrogesterone in lymphocytes from women with recurrent miscarriage.Raghupathy R, Al Mutawa E, Makhseed M, Azizieh F, Szekeres-Bartho J Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of dydrogesterone on the production of Th1 and Th2 cytokines by lymphocytes from women undergoing unexplained recurrent spontaneous miscarriage (RSM). DESIGN: Controlled prospective, clinical study conducted in a maternity hospital and a university-based immunology laboratory. SETTING: Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University and Kuwait Maternity Hospital. SAMPLE: Thirty women with unexplained RSM. METHODS: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from women with unexplained RSM were isolated from venous blood by density gradient sedimentation and stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Culture supernatants assayed for interferon (IFN)-gamma, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6 and IL-10 by ELISA. Levels of the progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF) were also measured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cytokine production in the presence and absence of progesterone and dydrogesterone. RESULTS: Dydrogesterone significantly inhibited the production of the Th1 cytokines IFN-gamma (P= 0.0001) and TNF-alpha (P= 0.005) and induced an increase in the levels of the Th2 cytokines IL-4 (P= 0.03) and IL-6 (P= 0.017) resulting in a substantial shift in the ratio of Th1/Th2 cytokines. The effect of dydrogesterone was blocked by the addition of the progesterone-receptor antagonist mifepristone, indicating that dydrogesterone was acting via the progesterone receptor. Dydrogesterone induced the production of PIBF. CONCLUSION: Dydrogesterone inhibits the production of the Th1 cytokines IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha from lymphocytes and up-regulates the production of the Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-6, inducing a Th1 to Th2 cytokine shift. Published 27 July 2005 in BJOG, 112(8): 1096-101.
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