Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a non-classical human major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I) molecule with the membrane-bound and soluble types. HLA-G is primarily expressed by extravillous cytotrophoblast cells located at the maternal–f...
The dynamic immunological changes occurring throughout pregnancy are well-orchestrated and important for the success of the pregnancy. One of the key immune adaptations is the maternal immune tolerance towards the semi-allogeneic fetus. In this revie...
During pregnancy, the placenta, the mother and the fetus exploit several mechanisms in order to avoid fetal rejection and to maintain an immunotolerant environment throughout nine months. During this time, immune cells from the fetal and maternal com...
T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) is an important checkpoint that induces maternal–fetal tolerance in pregnancy. Macrophages (Mφs) play essential roles in maintaining maternal–fetal tolerance, remodeling spiral arteries, and regul...
Nowadays, recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is an undesirable condition suffered by many patients of reproductive age. In this scenario, certain immune cell populations and molecules, involved in maternal–fetal compatibility, have emerged as facto...
Multinucleate syncytialized trophoblast is found in three forms in the human placenta. In the earliest stages of pregnancy, it is seen at the invasive leading edge of the implanting embryo and has been called primitive trophoblast. In later pregnancy...
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a parasitic zoonosis with significant health impacts, particularly in Latin America. While traditionally associated with vector-borne transmission, increased migration has expanded its reach into urban...
Maternal immunization is a key strategy for protecting pregnant individuals and newborns from infectious diseases. This review examines the mechanisms and benefits of maternal immunization, with a focus on transplacental IgG transfer and immune syste...
Our incomplete knowledge of maternal–fetal interface (MFI) physiology impedes a better understanding of the pathological mechanisms leading to pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. At the MFI, uterine natu...
Pregnancy is a fascinating immunological paradox: the semi-allogeneic fetus generally grows without any complications. In the placenta, fetal trophoblast cells come into contact with maternal immune cells. Inaccurate or inadequate adaptations of the...
Preeclampsia (PE) is an obstetric disorder with significant risks to both maternal and fetal health, characterized by hypertension and multi-organ dysfunction. Central to its pathogenesis is the impaired differentiation and function of trophoblast ce...
Background: Pregnancy, a complex biological phenomenon, relies on intricate maternal–fetal interactions for success. Decidual natural killer (dNK) cells and trophoblasts are pivotal in establishing immune tolerance at the maternal–fetal i...
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a multifactorial metabolic disorder arising from impaired insulin sensitivity and altered maternal–fetal energy regulation. Beyond classical mechanisms involving β-cell dysfunction and pregnancy-induc...
Maternal–fetal tolerance mechanisms are crucial during human pregnancy to prevent the immune rejection of the embryo. A well-known mechanism blocking NK-cell cytotoxicity is the interaction of their inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like re...
Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) mediates maternal-fetal immune tolerance. It is also considered an immune checkpoint in cancer since it may mediate immune evasion and thus promote tumor growth. HLA-G is, therefore, a potential target for immunother...
The microbiome is of great interest due to its potential influence on the occurrence and treatment of some human illnesses. It may be regarded as disruptions to the delicate equilibrium that humans ordinarily maintain with their microorganisms or the...
The mechanisms of immune tolerance of a mother against an antigenically foreign fetus without a concomitant loss of defense capabilities against pathogens are the factors underlying the success of a pregnancy. A significant role in human defense is p...
The natural history of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is inextricably associated with mucosal surfaces. The vast preponderance of primary infections occur following mucosal exposure to infectious virions, and the high seroprevalence of HCMV throughout...
The embryo of an oocyte donation (OD) pregnancy is completely allogeneic to the mother, which leads to a more serious challenge for the maternal immune system to tolerize the fetus. It is thought that macrophages are essential in maintaining a health...
The main role of HLA-G is to protect the semi-allogeneic embryo from immune rejection by proper interaction with its cognate receptors on the maternal immune cells. Spontaneous abortion is the most common adverse pregnancy outcome, with an incidence...
HLA-G is an HLA-class Ib molecule that is involved in the establishment of tolerance at the maternal/fetal interface during pregnancy. The expression of HLA-G is highly restricted in adults, but the de novo expression of this molecule may be observed...
This narrative review comprehensively explores the cardiometabolic implications of two vital nutrients, magnesium and vitamin D, during gestation. Magnesium, a key regulator of vascular tone, glucose metabolism, and insulin sensitivity, plays a cruci...
Oocyte donation (OD) has greatly improved over the last three decades, becoming a preferred practice of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertile women wishing for motherhood. Through OD, indeed, it has become possible to overcome the phys...
Maternal immune tolerance and controlled inflammatory responses are essential for fetal development and successful pregnancy. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) and B cells with regulatory properties (Bregs) maintain this balance by limiting excessive immune...
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the causative agents for liver inflammation across the world. HEV is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus. Human HEV strains mainly belong to four major genotypes in the genus Orthohepevirus A, family Hepevirid...
Since pregnancy is already characterized by mild but significant inflammatory activity in physiological conditions, when complicated by obesity the probability of a persistent inflammatory state increases, with consequent multiple repercussions that...
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global public health crisis. Viral infections may predispose pregnant women to a higher rate of pregnancy complications, including preterm births, miscarriage and stillbirt...
Successful conception requires the synchrony of multiple systems and organs. Dysregulation of stromal cell–immune cell interactions has been proposed to be associated with recurrent spontaneous abortion. However, the mechanism of this regulatio...
The immunology of pregnancy is an evolving consequence of multiple reciprocal interactions between the maternal and the fetal-placental systems. The immune response must warrant the pregnancy outcome (including tolerance to paternal antigens), but at...
Endometrial organoids (EOs) have emerged as a powerful three-dimensional (3D) model for studying the human endometrium, offering new insights into infertility and reproductive disorders. These self-organizing miniature structures closely mimic the ce...
Intrauterine infection, or chorioamnionitis, due to group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a common cause of miscarriage and preterm birth. To cause chorioamnionitis, GBS must bypass maternal-fetal innate immune defenses including nitric oxide (NO), a microb...
Organ-specific autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, are believed to result from T-cell-mediated damage of the target tissue. The immune-mediated tissue injury, in turn, is known to depend on complex interactions between genetic and environme...
Viral infections in pregnancy are major causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Infections can develop in the neonate transplacentally, perinatally, or postnatally (from breast milk or other sources) and lead to different clinical manif...
Environmental and genetic factors contribute to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but their interaction is less well understood. Mothers that are genetically more stress-susceptible have been found to be at increased risk of having a ch...
Background: Hofbauer cells (HBCs) are fetal-origin macrophages in the placental villous stroma that contribute to immune tolerance at the feto–maternal interface. They predominantly display an M2 phenotype, characterized by CD206 expression. Me...
Serotonin (5-HT) is a critical player in brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders. Fetal 5-HT levels can be influenced by several gestational factors, such as maternal genotype, diet, stress, medication, and immune activation. In this review,...
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) contribute to adverse gene-environment interactions prior to conception and continue throughout pregnancy. Embryonic/fetal brain disorders occur from interactions between genetic susceptibilities interacting...
23 April 2021
The maternal system’s exposure to pathogens during pregnancy influences fetal brain development causing a persistent inflammation characterized by elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in offspring. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a global pa...
The development of the human immune system starts during the fetal period in a largely, but probably not completely, sterile environment. During and after birth, the immune system is exposed to an increasingly complex microbiota. The first microbiota...
Cell migration capacity represents an essential function of the immune system. Pregnancy involves numerous morphogenetic events, angiogenesis, the establishment of intercellular connections, and complex interactions between maternal and fetal immune...
Small intestinal Paneth cells, enteric glial cells (EGC), and goblet cells maintain gut mucosal integrity, homeostasis, and influence host physiology locally and through the gut-brain axis. Little is known about their roles during pregnancy, or how m...
Pregnancy and lactation are critical periods for human well-being and are sensitive windows for pollutant exposure. Bisphenol A (BPA) is well demonstrated as a toxicant and has been replaced in the plastic industry with other bisphenol analogs that s...
Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a perinatal brain injury that is the leading cause of cerebral palsy, developmental delay, and poor cognitive outcomes in children born at term, occurring in about 1.5 out of 1000 births. The only proven...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease that is characterized by a deficit in social interactions and communication, as well as repetitive and restrictive behaviors. Increasing lines of evidence suggest an important role for im...
Several studies have shown fluctuations in the maternal microbiota at various body sites (gut, oral cavity, and vagina). The skin microbiota plays an important role in our health, but studies on the changes during pregnancy are limited. Quantitative...
The relationship between cesarean section (CS) delivery and intestinal microbiota is increasingly studied. CS-born infants display distinct gut microbial compositions due to the absence of maternal birth canal microorganisms. These alterations potent...
Preeclampsia (PE) is a multifactorial pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, posing significant risks to both maternal and fetal health. Despite extensive research, its complex pathophysiology remains incompletely understoo...
Obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and insulin resistance are pervasive metabolic disorders marked by chronic low-grade inflammation and systemic metabolic disorders. The emerging field of immunometabolism highlights how interactions between immune proc...
Prevalence rates of pediatric obesity continue to rise worldwide. Adipose tissue (AT) development and expansion initiate in the fetus and extend throughout the lifespan. This paper presents an overview of the AT developmental trajectories from the in...
Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial neurodevelopmental condition in which genetic predisposition interacts with environmental factors. Among these, the gut microbiota has emerged as a crucial modulator of the microbiota&nda...