The role of Th17/Treg-mediated immunoregulation in abortion mice

Abstract

In the study, we investigated the immune factors related to T helper 17 (Th17) cells and T regulatory (Treg) cells in spontaneous abortion mice. The expression of Th17 was analyzed by interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17A secretion, RAR-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) expression, and proportion of CD4+IL-17+ cells. The levels of IL-10, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), Foxp3, and CD4+Foxp3+ cells were presented the Treg expression. Higher embryo absorption rate was found in spontaneous abortion group than that in normal pregnancy group (P < 0.01). Compared with the normal pregnancy mice, spontaneous abortion mice showed higher levels of IL-6 and IL-17A and lower levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in serum and in decidua (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expressions of Foxp3 and CD4+Foxp3+ cells were significantly decreased in spontaneous abortion mice than those in normal pregnancy mice (P < 0.05). However, the levels of RORγt and CD4+IL-17+ cells remarkably increased in spontaneous abortion mice (P < 0.05). The results reveal that Th17/Treg cells may play a vital role in immunoregulation during pregnancy.