Dendritic Cell Subsets: The Next Target for Pregnant Complications?

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells with both immune stimulatory and regulatory functions. DCs are critical players in pregnancy, whose dysregulation is associated with multiple pregnancy-related complications. According to recently reported findings, this review aimed to elaborate the effects of subsets of DCs on gestation, including plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), conventional DCs (cDCs), immature DCs (iDCs), and mature DCs (mDCs). The present review clearly illustrate that the subsets of DCs, the spatial-temporal regulation of DCs during pregnancy, the balance of pDCs/cDCs ratio influenced the pregnancy outcomes, and the balance of iDCs/mDCs ratio influenced the pregnancy outcomes.  The possibility of targeting DC subsets for the treatment of pregnancy-related complications and eliminating the remaining gaps were discussed. A deeper understanding of DC subsets regulation during pregnancy can significantly contribute to the clinical application of these cells.