Research progress on maternal-fetal interface NK cells in early pregnancy

Abstract

The decidua, a specialized endometrium during pregnancy, plays a crucial role in promoting embryonic growth and maintaining immune tolerance. Recent research shows that decidual tissue is enriched with a large number of immune cells, primarily natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. During normal pregnancy, various immune and non-immune cells regulate each other to maintain an overall immune balance at the maternalfetal interface. Disruption of this immune balance can lead to various pregnancy-related complications, such as recurrent spontaneous abortion, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction. This review highlights the sources, subsets, physiological functions, and pathological roles of decidual NK cells during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Keywords

• maternal-fetal interface
• decidual nk cell
• reccurent spontaneous abortion
• preeclampsia
• fetal growth restriction