Immunological Characterization of Human Decidual Mononuclear Cells: Natural Killer Activity, Response to Interleukin‐2 and Distribution of Interleukin‐2 Receptor Subunits

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<jats:p>Abstract</jats:p><jats:p>We investigated the immunological character of mononuclear cells obtained from the decidua in the first trimester of normal pregnancy. These cells showed in vitro cytotoxicity against NK cell targets, although with lower activity than that of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Response to IL‐2 was dose‐dependent. Since decidual CD56‐positive cells express two IL‐2 receptor subunits, p55 and p75, it is concluded that these cells have high‐affinity receptors to IL‐2. Peripheral blood CD56‐positive cells, which express p75 alone, might have intermediate‐affinity IL‐2 receptors. These results indicate that the decidual mononuclear cells have a function resembling that of the peripheral blood NK cells in vitro, moreover, that even low levels of IL‐2 can affect the character of the decidual mononuclear cells through the high‐affinity IL‐2 receptor. It is considered that the NK activity of decidual mononuclear cells is suppressed in conditions of low IL‐2 levels to permit the maintenance of pregnancy, but can be rapidly elicited by intrauterine infections or abortion, both of which elicit the secretion of IL‐2.</jats:p>

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