Evaluating Vitamin D and foxp3 mRNA levels in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion

OBJECTIVE: This current survey investigated the role of the Forkhead 3 box protein (foxp3) gene and serum vitamin D levels in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). METHODS: The mRNA level of the foxp3 gene in peripheral blood was evaluated in women with a history of RSA (N=40) and in controls (N=40) via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We employed the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assess the serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2 D) in both groups. The Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to statistically compare study groups between and within themselves, respectively. RESULTS: Although mRNA levels of foxp3 were higher in women with RSA than in controls, we observed no significant change in mRNA levels of foxp3 between the two groups (p=0.16). An important positive correlation was observed between foxp3 mRNA levels and 1,25(OH)2 D in controls (p=0.003). In contrast, the correlation between foxp3 expression and 1,25(OH)2 D was not significant in the case group (p=0.14). Serum vitamin D levels were lower in women with RSA than in controls (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that 1,25Vitamin D3 along with other molecules might help prevent RSA by providing for an anti-inflammatory state not necessarily through foxp3 expression or T cell differentiation.