Progesterone modulation of inflammatory cytokine production in a fetoplacental artery explant model

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if progesterone has an effect on fetoplacental artery production of inflammatory cytokines. Study design: Chorionic plate arteries were dissected from 5 placentas obtained from normal pregnancies after delivery at term. Arteries were incubated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) alone, DMEM and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), DMEM with progesterone (P4), and DMEM with P4 and LPS. Samples of the tissue culture media were collected and evaluated for interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) by immunoassay. Results: There was a significant decrease in the production of IL-6 in P4-exposed fetoplacental arteries after LPS stimulation (P < .001). IL-10 and TNF-alpha levels were similar in control and treatment groups after LPS exposure. Conclusion: Pretreating fetoplacental arteries with P4 significantly decreased the production of IL-6 after LPS stimulation without altering the production of TNF-alpha or IL-10. (C) 2005 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.