Responses to mitogenic stimulation of lymphocytes taken during and after pregnancy

The proliferative responses of lymphocytes from foetal calves and adult cattle

This paper describes the proliferative responses of prescapular lymph lymphocytes and peripheral blood lymphocytes of foetal calves compared with cells of similar origin from adult cattle. Lymph lymphocytes were collected continuously by means of cannulation of efferent lymphatic ducts of the prescapular lymph node of foetal calves and adult cattle. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were collected from the foetus by means of cannulation of superficial veins of the foetus or of the umbilical vessels and from the jugular vein of adults. Foetal lymphocytes in one-way mixed lymphocyte culture stimulated and responded as well as adult lymphocytes. Foetal cells stimulated and responded more to cells from unrelated animals than to cells from their dam. Lymph lymphocytes from foetal calves between 188 and 253 days of gestation proliferated as well as adult lymphocytes and at a high level after stimulation with concanavalin A, phytohaemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen. Response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, soybean agglutinin and wheat-germ agglutinin was variable but generally low and within the same range recorded by adult cells. Proliferation by foetal and adult whole-blood cultures was on occasions as high as that recorded by separated lymphocytes, even though fewer lymphocytes were initially present in the whole-blood cultures. Foetal lymph lymphocytes exhibited lower proliferative responses in autologous lymph plasma than in foetal calf serum or pooled foetal lymph plasma. There was no consistent depression of proliferation by culture medium supplements from pregnant animals. Rabbit serum consistently abrogated responses. Fetuin at final concentrations of greater than 2.5 mg/ml significantly depressed proliferation in foetal and adult lymphocytes from efferent lymph and peripheral blood.

Lymphocyte, monocyte, and natural killer cell reference ranges in postpartal women

Normative values for immune-cell subsets in postpartal women, who are recovering from the relative immunosuppression of pregnancy, have not been established. Considerable differences in normative values for subsets of immune cells have been demonstrated based on sociodemographic factors, such as age and race. In order to make accurate clinical decisions about postpartal women, comparisons with normal reference ranges are necessary. Therefore, flow cytometric data for 51 healthy women at 4 months postpartum are presented and changes over the first 4 postpartal months are documented. The levels of some lymphocyte cell subsets, such as CD4+/CD45RA+ and Ia on lymphocytes, remained stable over time. The levels of other lymphocyte cell subsets, such as CD4+/CD29+, increased over the first 4 postpartal months, while those of other cell subsets, such as CD8 and CD11b, increased between delivery and 2 months postpartum and then dropped again by the fourth postpartal month. The levels of two natural killer cell subsets (CD3-/CD16+ and CD3-/CD57+) rose from delivery until 1 month postpartum and then plateaued. Comparisons were made with reference ranges of nonpostpartal groups provided in the literature and in a study of healthy women being conducted in the same laboratory, and postpartal women were found to have lower values of CD8, CD3-/CD16+, CD4+/CD45RA+, CD20, and CD11b than those reported in the literature.