Relative Expression of OX40, OX40L mRNA, and OX40L Serum Levels in Women with Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion

ABSTRACT

This study determined the roles of OX40 and OX40L in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). We compared the expression of OX40 and OX40L genes in peripheral blood mRNA levels and serum levels of OX40L in women with a history of RSA to the control group. In this case-control study, 40 women with a history of RSA (case group), and 40 others with no history of abortion (control group) were investigated. The expressions of OX40 mRNA and OX40L mRNA were determined in the two groups using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Also, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the levels of serum OX40L in the two groups. There were no significant differences in the maternal age of women in the two groups (30.1 ± 4.28 years in the case vs. 30.03 ± 4.23 years in the control group). There was no difference in terms of the levels of OX40 and OX40L mRNA between the groups (p = 0.08 and p = 0.56, respectively). In addition, there was no significant correlation between the expression of OX40 and OX40L mRNA levels with age or the number of abortions. The correlation between OX40 and OX40L mRNA levels was not significant. RSA history group turned to show a higher level of serum OX40L than the control group (p = 0.03). In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that the expression of OX40 mRNA and OX40L mRNA was similar between women with a history of RSA and the control group. The elevation of serum OX40L level may be considered as a risk factor for RSA.

KEYWORDS:

• OX40
• OX40 Ligand
• RSA

Acknowledgments

Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences provided the grant for this research project. This manuscript is a part of the MSc thesis of Fatemeh Rahmani. The authors are grateful to the staff in Reproductive Immunology Research Center, especially Dr. Fatemeh Zare for her technical assistance. We would also like to appreciate the head of Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Professor Abbas Aflatoonian, for his cooperation with this project.

Disclosure of Interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.