Research progress on maternal-fetal interface NK cells in early pregnancy
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 maternal-fetal 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.
Maternal-fetal interfaceDecidual NK cellReccurent spontaneous abortionPreeclampsiaFetal growth restriction