Can hormones calm down angry immune cells in preeclampsia?
Progesterone and vitamin D downregulate the activation of the NLRP1/NLRP3 inflammasomes and TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB pathway in monocytes from pregnant women with preeclampsia.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Hyaluronan — a molecule released by damaged placental tissue — dramatically increased inflammation in preeclamptic monocytes, but progesterone and vitamin D completely reversed it.
Most people think inflammation in preeclampsia is caused by immune overreaction alone — this shows a specific tissue damage signal (hyaluronan) is the trigger, and two common hormones can block it.
Practical Takeaways
Pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia should discuss vitamin D levels with their provider — correcting deficiency may support immune balance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Hyaluronan — a molecule released by damaged placental tissue — dramatically increased inflammation in preeclamptic monocytes, but progesterone and vitamin D completely reversed it.
Most people think inflammation in preeclampsia is caused by immune overreaction alone — this shows a specific tissue damage signal (hyaluronan) is the trigger, and two common hormones can block it.
Practical Takeaways
Pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia should discuss vitamin D levels with their provider — correcting deficiency may support immune balance.
Publication
Journal
Journal of reproductive immunology
Year
2021
Authors
M. L. Matias, M. Romão-Veiga, V. R. Ribeiro, P. Nunes, V. J. Gomes, A. C. Devides, V. T. Borges, G. Romagnoli, J. Peraçoli, M. Peraçoli
Related Content
Claims (6)
When your body uses vitamin D properly, it helps calm down your immune system by turning off genes that cause inflammation, which can make you feel less swollen or sore.
When scientists test immune cells from pregnant women with a condition called preeclampsia, adding progesterone or vitamin D to the cells in a lab seems to calm down their inflammation. It’s like turning down the volume on the body’s alarm system.
When women have preeclampsia during pregnancy, their immune cells called monocytes are more active and produce more inflammatory signals than those in pregnant women without this condition, suggesting their bodies are in a constant low-level inflammatory state.
In women with a pregnancy complication called preeclampsia, a substance called hyaluronan makes immune cells more inflamed, but two other substances—progesterone and vitamin D—can calm that inflammation down in lab tests.
Scientists found that a lab-grown type of immune cell (called THP-1) acts like the immune cells from pregnant women with preeclampsia — it shows the same signs of inflammation. This makes it a useful tool for studying the condition without using human patients.