The passage of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor across the human placenta perfused in vitro.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to investigate the placental passage of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in a placental perfusion model ex vivo.Methods:In an open system, 11 placentas were perfused on both the maternal and the fetal side immediately after delivery. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor was added to the maternal perfusion medium in concentrations from 10-55 μg/mL. Maternal and fetal samples were taken, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Accumulation of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the fetal circuit averaged 2.42% of the concentration added initially to the arterial portion of the maternal circuit.Conclusion:There is only low transfer of GM-CSF across the fetal membranes. This finding is particularly remarkable in view of recently published results suggesting that administration of recombinant granulocyte growth factors to pregnant women with imminen...