The function of white blood cells is, first and foremost, to protect the body from harmful organisms. As part of the innate immune system, white blood cells perform an integral part in combatting infections and diseases. They are capable of recognising and killing unhealthy, cancerous, and infected cells. Another important function of the white blood cells is to promote the grown of a child in the mother’s uterus during pregnancy. To the mother’s body, the child is a foreign object, therefore, the immune system is activated.
During the first trimester, white blood cells can be found in great quantities. The white blood cells promote the growth of the placenta, which provides nourishment to the child. Additionally, the cells promote the formation of blood vessels. Only when the placenta is fully formed, the quantity of white blood cells is decreased in the area. Researchers from Binqing University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei have now proved that some of the white blood cells stimulate the child’s growth.
White blood cells produce growth factors
A subtype of white blood cells produces the growth factors Pleiotrophin and Osteoglycin. These compounds are proteins that have a significant influence on the child’s growth. In healthy pregnant women, these cells comprise around 80 % of the white blood cells in the uterus. In women whom have miscarried, these cells only made up about 40 % of the white blood cells. Could this lack in production of growth factors be the cause of the miscarriage?
The researchers tested their hypothesis on pregnant mice which lacked this subtype of white blood cells. The result was that the development of their offspring was abnormal. Their growth was affected, and especially the skeleton was underdeveloped. By adding the missing white blood cells, it was illustrated that the effect was reversible; the offspring was able to recover with the aid of the growth factors, compensate for the missing growth and develop normally.
The researchers determined that white blood cells form an integral role in the development of a foetus. However, it remains unclear whether the proteins have a direct influence on the foetus or if it is an indirect effect on the placenta that stimulates the growth. Even though the exact mechanism is unclear, the results could be beneficial in the development of new treatment options. The white blood cells are not limited to cancer treatment in the form of immunotherapy, but could help mothers during the pregnancy in the future. ‘Our results pave the way for new treatment options against miscarriage’, explains Zhigang Tian.
