Expression of Intracellular Th1 and Th2 Cytokines in Women with Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion, Implantation Failures after IVF/ET or Normal Pregnancy

Abstract

Absolute counts of IFN-gamma, IL-4, and TNF-alpha expressing T cells decrease with the progress of gestation (third trimester) during normal pregnancies. In women with implantation failures, absolute cell counts of TNF-alpha expressing CD3+/ 4- cells reflects the presence of dominant Th1 immune response. A significantly increased Th1 cytokine expression may be the underlying immune etiology for reproductive failures.