Kinetics of lymphoproliferative responses of lymphocytes harvested from the uterine draining lymph nodes during pregnancy in rats.
Paraaortic lymph node (PALN) cells were harvested from virgin and pregnant rats bearing syngeneic or allogeneic fetuses at all stages of pregnancy including the pre-implantation period. The specific and non-specific alloreactivity of these cells was analyzed in mixed lymphocyte reactivity (MLR) against mitomycin-C treated-paternal strain or unrelated cells. Mitogen stimulation of the cell utilized PHA, Con-A and PWM. Cells bearing T cell markers were labeled in an indirect assay using the monoclonal antibodies W3/25 and MRC OX 8. Specific alloreactivity is strongly suppressed in the pre-implantation and implantation stages of pregnancy. Specific and non-specific alloreactivities were enhanced at mid-pregnancy and normalized by the end of pregnancy. Reactivity to polyclonal mitogens is enhanced at mid-pregnancy, and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio is very low during all phases of pregnancy.