Structural Changes in the Thymus in Allogenic Pregnancy in Mice with High Incidence of Spontaneous and Muramylpeptide-Induced Abortions

Abstract

Structural changes in the thymus over the course of allogenic pregnancy were studied in mice from highly fertile couples (CBA females and BALB/c males), animals with high spontaneous abortions (CBA females and DBA/2 males), and in experimental immunity-dependent pregnancy loss induced by muramyldipeptide β-heptylglycoside. Accidental involution of the thymus on days 8 and 14 of pregnancy was more pronounced in mice with high level of spontaneous embryo resorption than in females from highly fertile couples. Muramyldipeptide glycoside stimulated manifestations of thymus involution in fertile and "abortogenic" cross-breeding.

Intraperitoneal Administration of Muramyl Dipeptide β-Heptylglycoside to Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Female Mice Modulates Production of Th1/Th2/Th17/Tr1 Cytokines by Splenocytes Ex Vivo

“…In addition, these fi ndings are noteworthy with regard to the potential risk of the application of muramyl peptides and immunotropic agents similar by the mechanism during pregnancy. It was shown that C7MDP aggravated accidental thymic involution [2] and sharply increased the volume fractions of white pulp and T-dependent zones of the periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths and induced the appearance of numerous megakaryocytes in the subcapsular zone of the spleen [1] in both abortion-prone and non-abortion-prone mating. It was proved that the immunomodulator differently altered cytokine production ex vivo by splenocytes from mice with genetically determined differences in the functional balance between Th1 and Th2 lymphocyte subpopulations [6].…”