In brief The syndrome of preterm labor comprises multiple established and novel etiologies.
This review summarizes the distinct immune mechanisms implicated in preterm labor and …

Abstract Preterm birth (PTB) complicates 5–18% of pregnancies globally and is a leading
cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Most PTB is spontaneous and idiopathic …

More than 135 million births occur each year; yet, the molecular underpinnings of human
parturition in gestational tissues, and in particular the placenta, are still poorly understood …

Pregnant women represent a high-risk population for severe/critical COVID-19 and mortality.
However, the maternal-fetal immune responses initiated by SARS-CoV-2 infection, and …

Maternal glucocorticoids critically rise during pregnancy reaching up to a 20-fold increase of
mid-pregnancy concentrations. Concurrently, another steroid hormone, progesterone …

Progesterone is a sex steroid hormone that plays a critical role in the establishment and
maintenance of pregnancy. This hormone drives numerous maternal physiological …

Inflammasomes are cytoplasmic multiprotein complexes that coordinate inflammatory
responses, including those that take place during pregnancy. Inflammasomes and their …

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been exhaustively investigated during early pregnancy;
however, their role later in gestation is poorly understood. Herein, we report that functional …

Macrophages are commonly thought to contribute to the pathophysiology of preterm labor by
amplifying inflammation—but a protective role has not previously been considered to our …

A successful pregnancy requires that the maternal immune system recognizes and tolerates
the semi-allogeneic fetus without compromising the capability of protecting both mother and …