Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Pregnancy Complications: A Prospective Study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in normal pregnancies and pregnancies with complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells from women with a recurrent spontaneous miscarriage (n = 35), premature rupture of fetal membranes (n = 30), preeclampsia (n = 27) and intrauterine fetal growth retardation (IUGR; n = 36) were stimulated with mitogen or antigen, and the levels of TNF-α produced were compared to those produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a normal pregnancy (n = 35). RESULTS: The median levels of mitogen-induced TNF-α at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester, and at normal delivery were 1,176.4, 4,320.9, 7,307.4 and 2,463.0 pg/ml, respectively, while those produced in the recurrent spontaneous miscarriage, premature rupture of membranes and preeclampsia cases were 4,159.8, 3,489.5 and 4,149.2 pg/ml, respectively. The differences were statistically significantly higher in these pregnancy complications (p = 0.04, 0.024 and 0.014) as compared to the levels in normal pregnancy. Furthermore, antigen-induced TNF-α levels were produced at statistically significantly higher levels by women with IUGR (120.4 pg/ml) compared to women with normal pregnancies (17.9 pg/ml; p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of TNF-α seem to play a role in these pregnancy complications, suggesting its pathogenesis in such conditions.