Focal increases of fetal macrophages in placentas from pregnancies with histological chorioamnionitis: potential role of fibroblast monocyte chemotactic protein-1.

Abstract

PROBLEM:

 Histopathological chorioamnionitis (HCA) is caused by microbial-driven infiltration of leukocytes to the maternal-fetal interface resulting in adverse neonatal outcomes in a subset of pregnancies. The role of placental villus macrophages (i.e. Hofbauer cells, HBCs) in the pathophysiology of HCA is unelucidated.

METHOD OF STUDY:

 The number of HBCs in human term placental villi in HCA and control groups was compared using immunohistochemistry. Levels of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP-1) expression were measured in primary cultures of syncytioytrophoblasts (SCTs) and fibroblasts (FIBs) treated with bacterial compounds [lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan] and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) using ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS:

 Immunohistochemistry revealed a focal increase in HBCs in HCA. Treatment of FIBs with LPS, IL-1β, and TNF-α significantly increased MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression. Conversely, MCP-1 mRNA and protein levels were virtually undetectable in treated and untreated SCTs.

CONCLUSION:

 These results demonstrate cell-type-specific regulation of MCP-1 expression in human placenta. A model is presented in which bacterial products and inflammatory cytokines initiate a fibroblast-driven cytokine cascade resulting in recruitment of fetal monocytes to placenta which focally increases levels of HBCs in pregnancies complicated by HCA.

• Authors: Paolo Toti, Felice Arcuri, Zhonghua Tang, Frederick Schatz, Eduardo Zambrano, Gil Mor, Tracy Niven-Fairchild, Vikki M Abrahams, Graciela Krikun, Charles J Lockwood, Seth Guller
• Journal: American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) (Am J Reprod Immunol) Vol. 65 Issue 5 Pg. 470-9 (May 2011) ISSN: 1600-0897 [Electronic] Denmark
• PMID: 21087336 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Chemical References

• Chemokine CCL2
• Lipopolysaccharides

Topics

• Cells, Cultured
• Chemokine CCL2 (metabolism)
• Chorioamnionitis (immunology, pathology, physiopathology)
• Chorionic Villi (pathology)
• Female
• Fetus (cytology, immunology)
• Fibroblasts (cytology, metabolism)
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Lipopolysaccharides (immunology)
• Macrophages (immunology)
• Placenta (cytology, immunology, pathology)
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Complications, Infectious (immunology, pathology, physiopathology)