Immunopotentiation reverses the embryotoxic effect of serum from women with pregnancy loss

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of sera of women with habitual abortions (AB) on attachment and spreading of mouse blastocysts in vitro.

Design: Expansion, attachment, and spreading were the mouse blastocyst parameters utilized. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis and cell markers expression were also assayed by autoradiography analysis and the indirect immunofluorescent technique.

Setting: Sera were drawn from patients attending a habitual AB clinic in a tertiary care university hospital.

Participants: Thirty-nine serum samples were drawn from habitually aborting women and the effect compared with 17 control AB sera.

Intervention: Habitually aborting women were immunized with paternal leucocytes; 18 post-immunization sera were also assessed.

Outcome and results: After 48 hours, there was delayed attachment and spreading (4% of test blastocysts spread as compared with 50.5% of controls). This was more profound after 72 hours culture (7.5% spread as compared with 72.8% of controls). Experimental sera were capable of reducing DNA synthesis, cytokeratin, fibronectin, or placental alkaline phosphatase expression by blastocyst cells. Leucocyte immunization of women with habitual ABs, clearly reversed the embryotoxic effect of the sera and enhanced cell markers expression.

Conclusions: These data suggest that immunopotentiation may improve blastocyst survival in utero.