The maternal-fetal interface as an immunological barrier: Structure, regulation, and breakdown - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #pregnancy immunology
- #placental inflammation
- #maternal-fetal interface
- The maternal-fetal interface is an immunological barrier made up of decidua, intervillous space, and fetal membranes.
- Immune cells like macrophages, regulatory T cells, and uterine natural killer cells support early gestation by aiding implantation and vascular remodeling.
- Mid- to late gestation involves sustained regulatory T cells, homeostatic macrophages, Hofbauer cells, and tolerogenic dendritic cells to maintain immune tolerance.
- Toward term, a programmed shift to inflammation facilitates labor, with exhausted decidual T cells acting as modulators.
- Chronic placental inflammation can breach this barrier, involving maternal T cell infiltration into fetal tissues and cytotoxic changes.