Correlation Between the TH1 and TH2 Cells by Intracellular Cytokine Detection and MLR-blocking Antibodies in Patients with Unexplained Recurrent Abortion

Objectives: This study elucidated the correlation among blocking antibodies as detected by means of a mixed lymphocyte culture reaction (MLR) between spouses (MLR-BAbs), type I helper T cells (TH1), and type II helper T cells (TH2) in patients with unexplained recurrent abortions. Study design: Forty-five patients with unexplained recurrent abortions were chosen as a study population. Cells with TH1 and TH2 were determined by detecting intracellular interferon (IFN) -gamma and interleukin-4 (IL-4) production. The percentage of TH1 cells, TH2 cells, and the TH1/TH2 ratio were compared between MLR-BAbs-positive group and -negative group. The correlation between MLR-blocking effect and TH1 cells, TH2 cells, and TH1/TH2 ratio were also analyzed. Results and conclusion: Of 45 patients, 12 were positive for MLR-BAbs (MLR-BAbs positive group) and 33 were negative for MLR-BAbs (MLR-BAbs negative group). Although the percentage of TH2 cells was not significantly different between the two groups, the percentages of TH1 cells and the TH1/TH2 ratio were significantly higher in patients with negative MLR-BAbs compared with those positive for MLR-BAbs. Moreover, the MLR-blocking effect showed a significant negative correlation with the TH1/TH2 ratio in the patient population. Thus, it is suggested that the BAbs evaluated by MLR between spouses might reflect the TH1/TH2 balance in patients with unexplained recurrent abortion.