Immune modulators of implantation and placental development - a workshop report

Abstract

These workshop proceedings highlight several unique features of the immune response to pregnancy. Take home messages emerging from the work presented are that (1) while some aspects of the immune response are dampened in pregnancy, measures of systemic inflammatory status are enhanced and consistent with maternal priming to placental apoptotic debris; (2) cytokine superfamily members with functions quite distinct to their well-established activities in the immune system are prominent in the placenta, and (3) effectors from both the innate and adaptive immune compartments are important in accommodating the allogeneic conceptus, and considerable cross-regulatory interaction between the two compartments is likely. Considerably more research is needed to understand how these features integrate to positively influence development of the placenta, and how subtle perturbations in immune status can impact on transfer function and presumably therefore foetal growth trajectory. The reward will be a greater understanding of the basis of placental pathologies and eventually a platform for devising new therapeutic strategies to improve maternal and foetal health.