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Functional activity of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the first five days postpartum.

PURPOSE
To assess the chemotactic activity and phagocytic response of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes among women in the first five days postpartum.


METHODS
A prospective, cross-sectional clinical-laboratory study was conducted. Data of 31 postpartum women during the first five days after vaginal delivery were compared with those of 24 healthy non-pregnant non-postpartum women matched for age. The inclusion criteria were postpartum, clinically and obstetrically healthy women; vaginal delivery, singleton pregnancy carried to term; non-hypertensive, hyperglycemic, allergic, malnourished or with autoimmune or neoplastic diseases; not having received vaccines or blood products in the last three months. The Control Group was chosen according to the same inclusion criteria but involving non-pregnant non-postpartum women. The chemotactic activity of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes was assessed by determining the distance from directed migration to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, in three Boyden chamber assays. The phagocytic response was identified by assessing the Zymosan particles' ingestion in three assays carried out in Leighton tubes. The Student's t-test was used in the statistical analysis, adopting a 5% level of significance.


RESULTS
The chemotactic activity of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes from postpartum women in the presence of homologous (73.2 ± 6.9) and autologous (78.6 ± 13.9) sera showed a significant increase compared to the values observed in the Control Group (64.1 ± 4.1 and 66.6 ± 5.4). Both chemotactic response and phagocytosis ingestion phase of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in postpartum women compared to healthy non-pregnant and non-postpartum women.


CONCLUSION
There was an increase in the chemotactic activity and phagocytic response of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes during the first five days after vaginal delivery in women.