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Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology
Published in: Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Low-dose lymphocyte immunotherapy rebalances the peripheral blood Th1/Th2/Treg paradigm in patients with unexplained recurrent miscarriage

Authors: Mengyuan Liu, Xin Zhen, Hongyan Song, Junhao Chen, Xiaoling Sun, Xiaoqin Li, Jianjun Zhou, Guijun Yan, Lijun Ding, Haixiang Sun

Published in: Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

The published results regarding lymphocytes immunotherapy for unexplained recurrent miscarriage (uRM) patients are conflicting due to different screening criteria and therapeutic protocols. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of immunotherapy using low-dose lymphocytes in patients with uRM and Th1/Th2/Treg paradigm disorders.

Methods

Sixty-four uRM patients who received low-dose lymphocytes immunotherapy served as the immunotherapy group, while the other 35 women who did not receive the treatment served as the control group. The proportions of peripheral blood Th1 cells, Th2 cells and Treg cells; and the concentration of TGF-β1 in serum were detected by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively, before and after the immunotherapy.

Results

The proportion of Th1 cells was significantly decreased while the proportions of Th2 cells and Treg cells were significantly increased in immunotherapy group patients after treatment. In addition, the concentration of TGF-β1 in serum was significantly higher after immunotherapy than before. Forty-three uRM patients achieved pregnancy after receiving immunotherapy and 5 patients underwent miscarriages in the immunotherapy group (11.6%, 5/43), while 8 of the 23 pregnant patients experienced a miscarriage in the control group (34.8%, 8/23; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Low-dose lymphocyte immunotherapy is beneficial for restoring balance in the Th1/Th2/Treg paradigm and improving pregnancy outcome in uRM patients.

Trial registration

NCT03081325. ClinicalTrials.​gov. Retrospectively registered July 2015.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
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Metadata
Title
Low-dose lymphocyte immunotherapy rebalances the peripheral blood Th1/Th2/Treg paradigm in patients with unexplained recurrent miscarriage
Authors
Mengyuan Liu
Xin Zhen
Hongyan Song
Junhao Chen
Xiaoling Sun
Xiaoqin Li
Jianjun Zhou
Guijun Yan
Lijun Ding
Haixiang Sun
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1477-7827
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-017-0315-9

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