Suppressed mixed lymphocyte reaction in couples with intrauterine growth retardation pregnancies.

Objective: The objective of this study was to gain insight into the pathogenesis of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).
Method: Immune reactivity against paternal MHC class-II antigens was determined in 18 women with IUGR pregnancies and 18 normal pregnant women, employing one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR).
Results: One-way MLR between the women with IUGR pregnancies and their husbands was significantly suppressed compared with that between the women with IUGR pregnancies and males unrelated to them. However the MLR of normal pregnant women was essentially similar regardless of whether stimulating cells were obtained from their husbands or not. The degree of HLA class-II antigen shared by IUGR couples was not related to the degree of specific suppression of MLR towards the husbands.
Conclusion: IUGR may be associated with specifically suppressed patients' MLR towards their husbands, which may provide insight into the underlying pathophysiology of IUGR.