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Table 2 T1/T2-stimulatory activity of IFN-α-DCs

From: Elevated levels of dehydroepiandrosterone as a potential mechanism of dendritic cell impairment during pregnancy

 

Culture conditions

Intracellular expression and production of the cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4

  

Control group (n = 10)

NP women (n = 8)

HA women (n = 8)

  

Value

SI

Value

SI

Value

SI

CD3+ IFN-γ+ (%)

0

1.5 ± 0.2

 

1.8 ± 0.5

 

1.8 ± 0.5

 
 

+ DCs

5.9 ± 0.6

5.2 ± 0.9

1.5 ± 0.27**

1.1 ± 0.2**

2.5 ± 0.3**#

2.0 ± 0.4**#

CD3+ IL-4+ (%)

0

1.7 ± 0.1

 

2.6 ± 0.4

 

3.3 ± 0.5

 
 

+ DCs

2.1 ± 0.4

1.3 ± 0.2

8.6 ± 1.0**

3.5 ± 0.4**

7.4 ± 1.0**

2.4 ± 0.5*

IFN-γ (pg/ml)

0

18.2 ± 5.7

 

16.5 ± 2.8

 

16 ± 3.0

 
 

+ DCs

353 ± 41

22.2 ± 3.1

63.4 ± 27.8**

3.4 ± 0.9**

218 ± 69* #

13.5 ± 3.1*#

IL-4 (pg/ml)

0

1.0 ± 0.08

 

1.0 ± 0.09

 

1.0 ± 0.12

 
 

+ DCs

2.0 ± 1.0

2.0 ± 1.0

4.6 ± 2.2

4.6 ± 2.2

5.4 ± 2.0*

5.4 ± 2.0*

  1. Donor MNCs were co-cultured with allogenic IFN-α-DCs from non-pregnant women (control), normal pregnant women (NP), or hyperandrogenia pregnant women (HA) for 72 h at an MNC-to-DC ratio of 10:1. For the final 18 h of culture, 10 μg/ml Brefeldin A was added. Intracellular expression of IFN-γ and IL-4 was detected within the CD3+ gate by flow cytometry. To determine the levels of cytokine production by MNCs, cell-free supernatants were collected after 5 days of co-culturing donor MNCs and allogenic IFN-α-DCs from the control group, NP-women, or HA-women (at a MNC-to-DC ratio of 10:1) and were assessed for production of IL-4 and IFN-γ using specific ELISA kits. Data are presented as mean (± SE) cytokine concentrations (pg/ml) or the percentage of CD3+ cells from the indicated number of independent experiments. SI indicates the stimulation index, which was calculated as the ratio of cytokine concentrations (pg/ml) or intracellular cytokine expression (%) by MNCs in the presence or absence of DCs. *, pU < 0.05, **, pU < 0.01, compared to the control women group; #, pU < 0.05, compared to the NP-women group. Significant differences were detected using the Mann–Whitney U test.