Abstract
Summary
Peripheral blood lymphocytes from women in late gestation were cultured in an allogeneic reference plasma and autologous plasma. Lymphocytes cultured with autologous plasma exhibited markedly low response to both pokeweed mitogen (PWM, a B- and T-cell stimulant) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA, a predominant T-cell stimulant). When cultured with the reference plasma, lymphocytes from pregnant women showed a markedly impaired response to PWM whereas their responses to PHA was essentially the same as that of age-matched clinically well nonpregnant control women. The findings may suggest B-lymphocyte alterations during pregnancy in addition to plasma lymphocyte inhibitors. Dissociation of plasma inhibitory effects on lymphocyte responses to PHA and PWM was also noted.
This study was supported by the Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute and by a grant from G. D. Searle & Co.
The author is indebted to Dr. Paul Urnes, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, for his vital contribution to this study, to Dr. Philip Y. Paterson for his advice and review of the manuscript and Miss Amy E. Sedory for her technical assistance.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.