Evaluation of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of recurrent spontaneous abortion patients / 中华男科学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (CD4+ CD25+ Tr) in the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Peripheral blood samples were collected from 29 women with unexplainable recurrent spontaneous abortion (the URSA group) and another 20 with normal pregnancy (the control group). The percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Tr in the peripheral blood was measured by flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of CD4+ CD25bright Tr in the URSA patients ([1.98 +/- 0.96]%) was significantly lower than that in the control group ([3.21 +/- 1.25]%, P < 0.05), while the percentages of CD4+ CD25+ and CD4+ CD25dim and the ratio of CD4+ CD25bright/CD4+ were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>URSA might be associated with the decreased percentage of CD4+ CD25bright Tr, which plays an important role in fetomaternal immunologic tolerance.</p>