Potential role of heat-shock protein 70 and interleukin-15 in the pathogenesis of threatened spontaneous abortions.

Abstract

The role of HSP70 and both its constitutive (Hsc) and inducible (Hsp) forms in the pathogenesis of threatened spontaneous abortions was investigated. Immunohistology and/or immunofluorescence was used to analyze paraffin-embedded tissue sections, and reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry were used for analyses of decidual mononuclear cells (DMCs) and confocal microscopy for the detection of perforin, granulysin, and lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) in decidual lymphocytes (DLs). The percentage of single Hsp70(+) , Hsc70(+) , and IL-15(+) cells and mRNA levels of HSP70, CD91, and TLR4 were lower in the decidua basalis in cases of threatened miscarriages compared to that in cases of normal pregnancy. In a suspension of normal DMCs, IL-15 significantly decreased the HSP70 members and TLR4 in dendritic cells, T cells, and NK cells while increasing CD91 in NK cells alone. Downregulation of Hsc70, Hsp70, and IL-15 expression at gene and/or protein levels might support the retention of fertilization products in cases of missed abortion and blighted ovum.