Peripheral blood NK cells in patients with uterine scars and abnormally adherent and invasive placenta
Ponikarova N.Yu., Davydova A.A., Shelepova E.S., Osipova N.A., Sokolov D.I., Mikhailova V.A., Oganyan K. A., Selkov S.A., Zazerskaya I.E.
Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood NK cells against trophoblast cells in pregnant women with uterine scar and with or without abnormally adherent and invasive placenta (AAIP).
Materials and methods: The study included 18 pregnant women who were divided into 3 groups. The main group (n=6) included women with uterine scar after cesarean section and AAIP. The comparison group (n=6) included women with uterine scar and without AAIP. The control group (n=6) included pregnant women without uterine scar. The women were enrolled in the study at 28–32 weeks of pregnancy. Cytotoxic activity of peripheral blood NK cells against trophoblast cells of the JEG-3 line was evaluated in all patients.
Results: There were no differences in cytotoxic activity of NK cells between the group of women with AAIP and the comparison and control groups. However, the cytotoxic activity of pNK was lower in the group of pregnant women who underwent cesarean section in history versus women with normal pregnancy (p= p=0.022).
Conclusion: The data obtained in this study suggest that reduced cytotoxic activity of pNK cells in women with uterine scar and without AAIP is due to the mechanism that prevents adherence of placenta in a number of patients in risk group.
Authors’ contributions: Ponikarova N.Yu. – data collection and analysis, manuscript drafting; Davydova A.A. – cell culture work and and processing of biological material; Shelepova E.S., Osipova N.A. – data collection and analysis; Sokolov D.I., Mikhailova V.A., Selkov S.A. – manuscript editing; Oganyan K.A. – literature review, preparation of the manuscript for publication; Zazerskaya I.E. – the concept and design of the study, manuscript editing.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Funding: The study was supported by Almazov National Medical Research Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russia; State Assignment 123 021 000 051-2 “Development of risk assessment scale for abnormally adherent and invasive placenta in pregnant women with uterine scars”.
Ethical Approval: The protocol of the study was approved by the local Ethics Committee at Almazov National Medical Research Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russia (minutes of the meeting No. 11-22 of November 2022, protocol No. 2211-22)
Patient Consent for Publication: The patients have signed informed consent for participation in the study and publication of their data.
Authors' Data Sharing Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
For citation: Ponikarova N.Yu., Davydova A.A., Shelepova E.S., Osipova N.A.,
Sokolov D.I., Mikhailova V.A., Oganyan K.A., Selkov S.A., Zazerskaya I.E.
Peripheral blood NK cells in patients with uterine scars and abnormally adherent and invasive placenta.
Akusherstvo i Gynecologia/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2025; (1): 66-72 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2024.303
Keywords
natural killer cells
NK cells
cytotoxic activity
invasion
extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells
placenta accreta
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Received 25.11.2024
Accepted 17.01.2025
About the Authors
Nataliya Yu. Ponikarova, PhD student, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Health of Russia,197341, Russia, St. Petersburg, Akkuratova str., 2, +7(981)963-86-35, natalyponi@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7230-3057
Alina A. Davydova, Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Intercellular Interactions, Department of Immunology and Intercellular Interactions, D.O. Ott Research Institute
for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, +7(812)328-98-50, alyadavydova@gmail.com,
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5313-2910,
Ekatherina S. Shelepova, PhD, Teaching Assistant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Health of Russia, 197341, Russia, St. Petersburg, Akkuratova str., 2, shelepova_es@almazovcentre.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3233-8239
Nataliya A. Osipova, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ministry of Health of Russia,
197341, Russia, St. Petersburg, Akkuratova str., 2, osipova_na@almazovcentre.ru
Dmitry I. Sokolov, Dr. Bio. Sci., Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Intercellular Interactions, Department of Immunology and Intercellular Interactions,
D.O. Ott Research Institute for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, +7(812)328-98-50,
falcojugger@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5749-2531
Valentina A. Mikhailova, Dr. Bio. Sci., Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Intercellular Interactions, Department of Immunology and Intercellular Interactions,
D.O. Ott Research Institute for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, mva_spb@mail.ru,
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1328-8157
Karina A. Oganyan, Resident Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Health of Russia,
197341, Russia, St. Petersburg, Akkuratova str., 2, oganyan_karina@bk.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2743-0882
Sergey A. Selkov, Merited Scolar of the Russian Federation, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Head of the Department of Immunology and Intercellular Interactions, D.O. Ott
Research Institute for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, 199034, Russia, St. Petersburg, Mendeleevskaya line, 3, +7(812)328-98-50, selkovsa@mail.ru,
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1560-7529
Irina E. Zazerskaya, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, V.A. Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Health
of Russia, 197341, Russia, St. Petersburg, Akkuratova str., 2, zazera@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4431-3917
Corresponding author: Nataliya Yu. Ponikarova, natalyponi@gmail.com
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