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Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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American researchers have discovered cells in the bodies of pregnant women that suppress the mother's immune system to protect the fetus.
This discovery could help develop a drug that would prevent premature birth and other complications during pregnancy.
Scientists from Cincinnati Children's Medical Center have discovered that a pregnant woman's immune system stimulates the development of cells that prevent the rejection of fetal tissues - cells from the fetus being carried - recognizing them as foreign.
Importantly, T cells, immune suppressor regulators, persist after birth, providing a protective function for subsequent reproduction of offspring.
For a pregnancy to be successful, the mother's body must be able to accept the antigens inherited by the child from the father. These antigens trigger an immune response in the mother's body because they are recognized as foreign. If the woman becomes pregnant again, the T cells will provide additional protection to the fetus, "remembering" the previous pregnancy and preventing the woman's body from rejecting the fetal tissue.
"We found that CD4 immune suppressive regulators form immunological memory," comments lead author of the study, Xing Wei.
According to the scientist, this "memorable effect" is an explanation for why subsequent pregnancies have significantly fewer complications than the first. It also provides an opportunity to better control the balance between stimulation and suppression of the immune system in order to prevent autoimmune diseases.
A group of scientists has shown that the protective program used during pregnancy is based on increasing the activity or maintaining normal T cells that identify fetal antigens.
"With this knowledge, we can develop vaccines that target immune suppressive T cells. Currently, we have drugs that only target T cells. A new drug that can either induce expansion or inhibit suppressive cells would selectively suppress these unwanted responses," says Dr. Wei.
In addition, the discovery could lead to vaccines against autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and idiopathic arthritis, in which the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue.
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