The purpose of this study was to examine the histologic and immunologic differences between fetal membrane zones after membrane rupture at term delivery.
From a functional perspective, the decidual process is indispensable for pregnancy in all species with invasive placentae as it establishes maternal immunologic tolerance to fetal antigens, protects the conceptus against environmental insults, and ensures tissue integrity and haemostasis during the process of trophoblast invasion and placenta formation [9], [10].
Most of investigators consider preterm labor as an acute obstetric disease related to ascending bacterial infection of lower pole of membranes with exogenic or endogenic microbes, with subsequent rapid maternal and fetal immunologic response [ 4– 7].
One of the most intriguing puzzles in modern immunology involves the "paradox of pregnancy," in which immunologic tolerance to paternally derived fetal antigens is achieved despite an apparently adequate maternal defense against infection.
Because of physiologic changes in cardiorespiratory function and obligatory immunologic alterations to allow for fetal tolerance, pregnant women are vulnerable to viral infections, such as influenza.
We investigated the immunologic properties of undifferentiated and differentiated human fetal MSCs.
Pregnancy is an event of immunologic tolerance, whereby a woman accepts the implantation of the fetal allograft in her uterus.
To promote proper implantation and protect the fetal allograft from rejection during pregnancy, the maternal immunologic state shifts from a predominantly cell-mediated response to a humoral response (reviewed in [29]).
However, animal models have demonstrated the potential for transplacental passage of 'pro-asthmatic' mediators (e.g. Th2 cytokines, immunologic cells, etc)., which could theoretically be capable of modifying the developing fetal immune system [reviewed [91]].
The effects of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress have potential to alter pregnancy outcomes, including the fetal and postnatal growth potential, nutrient utilization and nutritional status, and immunologic development and function of mother and of the offspring.
