Increased interleukin-8 levels in cord blood serum of newborn-possible effect of cytokine dysregulation in pregnancies complicated by rheumatic disease on newborn vasculature.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. During pregnancy, maternal immune disbalance might impact the vasculature of the newborn. We, therefore, aimed to investigate a possible association between maternal inflammatory rheumatic disease and inflammatory signaling in the umbilical cord of the newborn. METHODS: This single-center study included neonates of women with connective tissue disorders (CTDs) and inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) and healthy controls (HC). RESULTS: The tissue of umbilical cords (UCs) of neonates born to IJD patients showed elevated ICAM-1 expression, indicating increased inflammatory response. Monocyte subsets in venous umbilical cord blood (VUCB) showed an equal distribution of non-classical monocytes in all groups. Leukocytes in VUCB showed no significant differences between the three groups although a trend of Treg reduction and an increase in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the IJD offspring group were detectable. Cytokine levels of VUCB serum were overall low, except IL-8 with significantly elevated concentrations in the IJD neonate group. In the maternal serum of IJD patients, IL-8 levels were low comparable to IL-8 in healthy umbilical cord vein (UCV) serum, indicating a de novo synthesis of IL-8 in the UCV of neonates. Platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGF-AA) was significantly reduced in the sera of IJD and CTD offspring. Furthermore, a significant reduction of human UCV smooth muscle cell (HUVSMC) proliferation incubated with plasma of the VUCB-IJD sera of neonates, possibly an effect of reduced PDGF-AA levels, is detectable. CONCLUSION: Well-controlled SARD during pregnancy does not seem to influence most of the inflammatory signaling in the UC. However, the elevated levels of IL-8 in the serum of neonates of women with IJD might have an impact on long-term vascular health and cardiovascular events.