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Objective: To identify the differences in cytokine profile between allogeneic and syngeneic pregnancy in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)., Methods: Mice (strain B10.RIII) were injected with bovine collagen. Females were mated with males of the same strain (syngeneic pregnancy) or with males of strain B10. Q (allogeneic pregnancy). Concentrations of cytokines were measured during pregnancy and after delivery, and the onset and evolution of arthritis was followed in all female animals throughout the study period., Results: In female mice that developed CIA, cytokine concentrations were lower in allogeneic pregnancies than syngeneic pregnancies. When paired cytokine concentrations were compared in each animal during and after pregnancy, MCP-1 was lower during gestation than after delivery in both groups of pregnant mice, IL-6 was lower during gestation than after delivery only in allogeneic pregnancies, and IL-10 was lower during gestation than after delivery in allogeneic pregnancies, whereas in syngeneic pregnancies IL-10 was higher during gestation than after delivery., Conclusions: Allogeneic pregnancy was associated with less arthritis because of lower concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and others), not because of an increase in the concentration of antiinflammatory cytokines (IL-10).

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that collagen induced arthritis benefits more from allogeneic pregnancy than syngeneic pregnancy., Methods: Arthritis was induced in female B10.RIII (H-2r) mice by injecting bovine type II collagen. Female mice were subsequently paired, one group with q-haplotype males (B10.Q) and the other with r-haplotype males (B10.RIII). The effect of q- and r-haplotype was measured by determining the acute phase reactant serum amyloid A (m-SAA), bovine anti-collagen type II antibodies (a-CBII), and the ratio of CD4/CD8 T lymphocytes during pregnancy and after delivery. Clinical assessment of arthritis was also performed., Results: The number of mice with maximum severity of clinical arthritis was significantly higher in the syngeneic group (11/20 vs 5/21; p = 0.04). Although we noted that in the allogeneic group the females had had a significantly higher level of a-CBII during pregnancy (p = 0.02), we also found that the ratio of CD4/CD8 was higher in the syngeneic group even if it was measured during (p = 0.04) or after gestation (p = 0.05). Taking into account all the cases of arthritis initiated in the post-gestational period there was no difference in m-SAA or in a-CBII between the 2 groups, but the ratio of CD4/CD8 was higher in the syngeneic group measured during (p = 0.03) or post gestation (p = 0.02)., Conclusion: Allogeneic pregnancy benefits more than syngeneic pregnancy by attenuating the cellular immune response, and the ratio of CD4/CD8 indicates the attenuation of cellular immunity when measured during gestation or post partum.