RESUMO
Reproductive experience (i.e., pregnancy and lactation) induces physiological changes in mammals. We recently showed that a previous reproductive experience can modulate the activity of dopaminergic hypothalamic systems while decreasing serum prolactin (PRL) levels and oxidative burst activity in peritoneal macrophages. Dopamine receptor antagonists increase serum PRL levels, and both PRL and dopamine receptors might be involved in the modulation of macrophage activity, providing a means of communication between the nervous and immune systems. The present study evaluated the in vitro effects of PRL and the dopamine receptor D2 antagonist domperidone (DOMP) on the peritoneal activity of macrophages from primiparous and multiparous female rats during lactation. Oxidative bursts and phagocytosis in peritoneal macrophages were evaluated by flow cytometry. Primiparous and multiparous Wistar rats, during the period of lactation (i.e., days 5-7 after parturition) were used. Samples of peritoneal fluid from these rats were first incubated with PRL (10 and 100 nM) for different periods of time. The same procedure was repeated to evaluate the effects of DOMP (10 and 100 nM). Our results showed that macrophages from multiparous rats respond more effectively to in vitro incubation with PRL, especially with regard to oxidative bursts and the percentage of phagocytosis. Additionally, these effects were more pronounced after 30 min of incubation. These data suggest that reproductive experience is associated with a reduction in serum PRL levels, and cells in experienced female animals, including their macrophages, become more sensitive to the effects of PRL.
Assuntos
Lactação , Macrófagos Peritoneais/metabolismo , Paridade , Animais , Células Cultivadas , Domperidona/farmacologia , Antagonistas de Dopamina/farmacologia , Feminino , Lactação/imunologia , Ativação de Macrófagos/efeitos dos fármacos , Ativação de Macrófagos/imunologia , Macrófagos Peritoneais/citologia , Macrófagos Peritoneais/efeitos dos fármacos , Macrófagos Peritoneais/imunologia , Paridade/imunologia , Fagocitose/efeitos dos fármacos , Fagocitose/imunologia , Gravidez , Prolactina/sangue , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Explosão Respiratória/efeitos dos fármacos , Explosão Respiratória/imunologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the female preponderance for autoimmune thyroid disease might be associated with hormonal differences, abortion, and fetal microchimerism. Findings emerging from the few epidemiological studies on this matter, however, are controversial. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis whether parity, abortion, and the use of estrogens are associated with a higher risk for thyroid autoimmunity. METHODS: This cross-sectional population-based study examined 675 women from a Japanese-Brazilian population aged above 30 years. Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAbs), thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs), thyrotropin, and free T4 were measured by immunofluorimetric assays. Urinary iodine concentration was measured using a colorimetric method. Data were analyzed in logistical regression models to obtain the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: TPOAbs and TgAbs were present in 11.6% and 13.6% of women, respectively. After adjustment for age, smoking, and urinary iodine concentration, the OR for positive TPOAb (OR, 1.22 [95% confidence interval, 0.732.02]) and for positive TgAb (OR, 1.01 [0.631.62]) among women who had one or more parities did not differ from those who had never given birth. In addition, we found no association between the presence of thyroid antibodies and previous abortions or the use of estrogens. CONCLUSIONS: Parity, abortion, and the use of estrogens are not associated with thyroid autoimmunity in this population. These findings reinforce previous reports that advocated against a key role of fetal microchimerism in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease.
Assuntos
Doenças Autoimunes/imunologia , Paridade/imunologia , Doenças da Glândula Tireoide/imunologia , Aborto Induzido/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Povo Asiático , Brasil/epidemiologia , Estrogênios/uso terapêutico , Feminino , Humanos , Iodeto Peroxidase/imunologia , Japão/etnologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Gravidez , Tireoglobulina/imunologia , Doenças da Glândula Tireoide/epidemiologia , Tireotropina/sangue , Tiroxina/sangueRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a known cause of immunological sensitization and it has been reported graft survival to be lower in husband to wife kidney transplantation if the wife had been pregnant (mutual children) as compare to those cases without pregnancies. Previous exposure to husband HLA antigens during pregnancies may lead to specific sensitization to subsequent allografts. AIM: To communicate the fate of kidney allograft in husband to wife transplantation when the recipient had been pregnant. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 682 renal transplants performed at INCMNSZ 5 corresponded to husband to wife transplants. All the recipients were multiparous and had received multiple blood transfusions. Pretransplantation lymphocytotoxic cross-match testing were performed by complement dependent citotoxicity with antihuman globulin added (AHG-CDC), being negative in all cases for T and B cells. All the patients received triple-drug immunosuppressive therapy, additionally, anti-IL2R monoclonal antibodies were used in two cases. RESULTS: Two patients developed: accelerated acute rejection (case 1), and acute humoral rejection (case 5), respectively. Graft in these patients were loss to rejection and transplant nephrectomy accomplished. The remaining three patients (cases 2, 3, and 4) has not had any rejection episode, and have had excellent graft outcome at 34, 30, and 21 months posttransplant, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Why under similar conditions some husband to wife kidney transplant recipients developed an adverse humoral immunological events while others maintain excellent long-term graft outcome? Is it possible to speculate that for some women pregnancy is in fact a sensitizing event, while in others it promotes "immunological acceptance"? At present there is no a test that characterized one and other group. Even though pretransplantation cross-match testing by flow cytometry is more sensitive than AHG-CDC, its negative result is by no means an absolute guarantee that an adverse anamnestic immunological event will not occur.
Assuntos
Família , Transplante de Rim/imunologia , Paridade/imunologia , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Doadores Vivos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Gravidez/imunologia , CônjugesRESUMO
PROBLEM: Beneficial effects of multiparity status have been previously reported by different authors. However, this fact has not been fully explained. Taking into consideration the influence of the parity status on the in vitro asymmetric/protective antibodies and the fact that interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in the production and immune-regulatory functions of placental macrophages, the aim of this work was to compare the placental IL-6 production and tissue macrophage presence in mice with different age and parity status. METHOD OF STUDY: Three groups of mice (CBA/J x CBA/J) were analyzed: primiparous young (PY: 3.0 +/- 0.5 months old), primiparous old (PO: 8.5 +/- 0.5 months old), and multiparous old (MO: 8.5 +/- 0.5 months old, with three to four previous pregnancies). Macrophage and IL-6 were identified in placental tissue by immunohistochemistry employing anti-F4/80 or anti-IL-6 antibodies. IL-6 secretion was analyzed in the placental culture supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The results obtained indicate that, despite the level of macrophages observed in the PO placentae was higher than in PY ones, their expression in MO placentae was very much increased, appearing like a thick layer between decidua and trophoblast. However, no significant difference was found among the groups in the tissue expression of IL-6 and in IL-6 secreted in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that parity status influences the number of local macrophages and might provide evidence that could explain the known beneficial effect of multipaternity. We suggest that the number of previous pregnancies favor the production of a 'protective' population of macrophages.