Role of blood natural killer cells in recurrent miscarriage

Abstract

For pregnancy to be maintained, the conceptus has to protect itself from the maternal immune system (Hill et al., 1992; Yokoyama et al., 1994). The objective of this study to investigate women with previous repeated miscarriage to determine whether there is a significant association between peripheral blood natural killer cells (including total CD3+ NK, total CD69+ NK and CD69+/CD3+) and repeated miscarriage. Also to determine the differences between those natural killer cell subpopulations between healthy pregnant women more than>37weeks and group with previous repeated miscarriage . The current study was conducted in Department of Obstetric and Gynecology and Clinical Patholgy Department unit of Haematology at Al-azharUniversity Maternity Hospitals throughout the period between May 2011 and May 2013. It included 30 patients with history of recurrent miscarriage (2 or more abortions less than 20 weeks gestation ) and who are experiencing missed abortion in their current pregnancy .All the patients were less than 38 years old to decrease the risk of chromosomal abnormalities. All patients had neither history nor current evidence of abnormal glucose tolerance, abnormal thyroid function, hyperprolactinaemia or anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome. All the patients had no history of hormonal contraception or intrauterine contraceptive device usage in the 3 months preceding the current pregnancy and were not suffering from septic abortion in their current missed abortion.