chemokines on T cells risk for miscarriage

Dr. Braverman

2026 Posts
Reply chemokines on T cells risk for miscarriage Posted on: Sep 21, 2010 at 3:03am
A new study has now looked not at the level of cytokines such as TNF and INF gamma to decide ones risk for FISCP or RPL, but a new study has decided instead to look at chemokine receptors on T cells as a risk. Chemokines are chemicals that are released from a certain location to draw cells(in this case T cells) to that location. In this study they looked on T cells for receptors to chemokines that draw TH1 producing cells and TH2 producing cells to the uterine lining. If cells that make TH1 cytokines (and therefore have receptors on thier surface for TH1 chemokines) are in more abundance and have receptors on their surface for TH1 chemokines then there is a greater likelihood that they will be in greater numbers at the uterine lining where the embryo is implanting than the TH2 producing T cells.
All sounds complicated but to summarize this , it means that it may be a more accurate assessment of a patients risk for immune rejection to not look at the amount of cytokine being produced but to look at how many of the TH1 producing cells are there with chemokines on their surface because those are the cells that will go to the uterine lining to interfere with implantation. Remember we need to get the best assessment from the blood tests as to what is happening at the implantation site.
This study showed that when T cells have a greater number of TH1 chemokine receptors (and these are only on TH1 producing cells) than TH2 chemokine receptors (only on TH2 producing cells) then there was a much greater chance of miscarriage. Its the chemokine receptors reacting to the chemokines sent from the uterine lining that have those T cells go to the uterine lining.
We can test for these receptors now and Im going to look at the cost it adds to the immune panel as of course we have to keep those costs under control.
Braverman Medical Team
Braverman Reproductive Immunology P.C.