Objective: To analyze the frequency of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in pregnancy, especially their subsets, by flow cytometry in each trimester and in the postpartum period.
Study design: Peripheral blood was collected from pregnant women in each trimester and from non-pregnant women. Serum hormones were detected by ELISA, while pDCs and their subsets were detected by flow cytometer. Then correlation between them was further analyzed.
Results: Both pDCs and their subsets declined as pregnancy progressed. Further experiments indicate that estradiol and progesterone are significantly negatively correlated with this change.
Conclusion: Our findings increase the knowledge of pDC subsets in healthy pregnant conditions.