Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Jan 4:12:1025714.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1025714. eCollection 2022.

The function and mechanism of action of uterine microecology in pregnancy immunity and its complications

Liping Shen  1   2 , Weiwei Wang  3   4 , Weiwei Hou  5 , Chenfei Jiang  5 , Yi Yuan  3 , Liqing Hu  6 , Anquan Shang  3
Affiliations
Review

The function and mechanism of action of uterine microecology in pregnancy immunity and its complications

Liping Shen et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

The human microbiota influences physiology, disease, and metabolic reproduction. The origin of uterine bacteria is controversial. The main assumption is that the germs enter the uterine cavity from the vagina through the cervical canal, bloodstream, fallopian tubes, and gynecological surgical channels. Understanding the microbiota at various anatomical sites is critical to the female reproductive system and pregnancy. Today's study focuses on the role of uterine bacteria in pregnancy and embryo implantation. According to our findings, the uterine microbiome influences embryo implantation and pregnancy outcome. Pregnancy is a natural, evolutionarily selected approach to human reproduction. During pregnancy, the microbiota of the reproductive tract changes, facilitating the maintenance of pregnancy, and the human immune system undergoes a series of changes that recognize and adapt to the non-self. From the beginning of pregnancy, a non-self fetus must establish a placenta of embryonic origin to protect itself and promote growth; the VMB tends to be more stable and lactobacillus-dominated in late gestation than in early gestation. Any material that disrupts this connection, such as microbial changes, is associated with a higher risk of poor health and poor pregnancy outcomes in women (eclampsia). The presence of any material that disrupts this connection, such as microbial changes, is associated with a higher risk of poor health and poor pregnancy outcomes (preeclampsia, preterm birth, gestational diabetes, etc.). In this work, we review the last decade of relevant research to improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which the microbiota of the female reproductive tract influences female reproductive health. This work discusses the mechanisms associated with the reproductive tract microbiota and pregnancy immunity, as well as the impact of an abnormal microbiota on adverse pregnancy outcomes. Emphasis is placed on the characteristics and sources of the female vaginal, uterine, and placental microbiota and the importance of a well-stabilized local human microbiota and immune system for embryo implantation, placental development, fetal growth, and pregnancy outcome.

Keywords: pregnancy immunity; uterine dysbiosis; uterine microflora; vaginal dysbiosis; vaginal microbiota.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The effect of normal and abnormal uterine microbiota on pregnancy outcome.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Womb microbiota transmission pathways. (A) scension from vagina; (B) Hematogenous spread of bacteria; (C) Digestive tract transmission; (D) Other e.g. retrograde spread through fallopian tubes,ART-related gynecologic procedure etc.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Maternal-fetal immune tolerance.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Immune response of T cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Aagaard K., Ma J., Antony K. M., Ganu R., Petrosino J., Versalovic J. (2014). The placenta harbors a unique microbiome. Sci. Transl. Med. 6 (237), 237ra65. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3008599 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agrawal S., Shinar S., Cerdeira A. S., Redman C., Vatish M. (2019). Predictive performance of PlGF (Placental growth factor) for screening preeclampsia in asymptomatic women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Hypertension 74 (5), 1124–1135. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13360 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Amarasekara R., Jayasekara R. W., Senanayake H., Dissanayake V. H. (2015). Microbiome of the placenta in pre-eclampsia supports the role of bacteria in the multifactorial cause of pre-eclampsia. J. Obstet Gynaecol Res. 41 (5), 662–669. doi: 10.1111/jog.12619 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ashkar A. A., Croy B. A. (1999). Interferon-gamma contributes to the normalcy of murine pregnancy. Biol. Reprod. 61 (2), 493–502. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod61.2.493 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baker J. M., Chase D. M., Herbst-Kralovetz M. M. (2018). Uterine microbiota: Residents, tourists, or invaders? Front. Immunol. 9, 208. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00208 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources