Comment: Effect of cytokines on prolactin production by human decidual stromal cells in culture: Studies using cells freed of bone marrow-derived contaminants

Human decidua contains resident decidual cells alongside a population of bone marrow-derived cells, among which macrophages and large granular lymphocytes are most abundant. We hypothesized that soluble effectors produced by bone marrow-derived cells may modulate the function of the decidual cells. To investigate this, a cell purification protocol was devised that involved digestion of first-trimester decidua with collagenase and hyaluronidase to produce a mixed stromal cell suspension from which the bone marrow-derived cells were removed using immunomagnetic beads coated with anti-CD45. The resulting stromal cells were maintained in culture in the presence of progesterone and were found to produce PRL. The effect of a panel of cytokines on PRL production was examined. Tumor necrosis factors- α and -β had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect, and tumor necrosis factor receptors were identified on the cells. Interleukin 1α and 1β, platelet- derived growth factor, and transforming growth factor-β1 were also found to inhibit PRL production, and platelet-derived growth factor and transforming growth factor-β1 stimulated cell proliferation. These findings suggest an interaction between the immune and endocrine systems in regulating the maternal environment of early pregnancy.