Table 1. Cytokines, chemokines, and growth factor production by uterine natural killer cells.

Publication	Cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors detected	Cell preparation	Gestational age	Conditions
El Costa et al. 45	IFNγ, TNFα, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, GM-CSF	MACS-negative selection, 96% CD3−CD56+	8–12 weeks	Engagement of NKp30 (but not NKp46)
Higuma-Myojo et al. 79	TGF, minor populations of CD56+ cells producing other cytokines	Ficoll, flow cytometry	6–12 weeks	Mononuclear cells stimulated with PMA/ionomycin/brefeldin 4 hours, flow cytometry
Lash et al. 38	Ang1, Ang2, PDGF-BB (low), KGF (low), ICAM-1 (low), VEGF-C, PlGF, TGFβ1	MACS-positive selection, >95% CD56+	8–10 weeks, 12–14 weeks	No stimulation, Fastquant, ELISA
Lash et al. 39	IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, GM-CSF, IFNγ, RANTES, TNFα	MACS-positive selection >95% CD56+	8–10 weeks, 12–14 weeks	No stimulation, Fastquant, ELISA
Hanna et al. 66	CXCL8 (IL-8), CXCL10 (IP-10), CCL5 (RANTES), CCL22, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, PlGF, VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGF-C	Flow cytometry cell sorting, >99% CD56 bright CD16−CD3−	First trimester	IL-15 72 hours
Sotnikova et al. 62	IFNγ	Dynabeads-positive selection	7–10 weeks	Incubation with autologous cytotrophoblast
Engert et al. 80	GRO, MCP1, I-309, RANTES, IL-8, IL-1β, EGF, VEGF, TPO, M-CSF, ENA, oncostatin M, IL-10, GROα, angiogenin, IL-1α, IL-4, IL-12p40p70, IFNγ, SCF, SDF-1, MCP-2 (detected in >50% samples)	MACS, >90% pure	7–8 weeks	No stimulation, protein array
Saito et al. 81	G-CSF, GM-CSF, M-CSF, TNFα, IFNγ, LIF	Flow cytometry sorting	7–9 weeks	No stimulation
Fraser et al. 82	CXCL16, HB-EGF, HGF, IL-1β, IL-8, TGFβ1, UPA, TIMP-1	MACS-positive selection, 93.6 ± 1.3% CD56 +, 80 ± 4% viability after 24 hours	9.1–13.7 weeks	IL-15, SCF
Wallace et al. 83	IL-6, IL-8, CXCL10	MagCellect-negative selection, CD56+ 95.7 ± 0.92%, viability after 6 hours 84.6 ± 2.8%	8–14 weeks	IL-15, SCF
Wallace et al. 84	Angiogenin, sIL2-R, endostatin, PlGF, IL-1RA, MIG, MIP- 1α, MIP-1β, RANTES	MACS-positive selection, 93.6 ± 1.3% CD56+	9–14 weeks	IL-15, SCF
Wallace et al. 85	TNFα, CXCL10, IFNγ, IL-8, PlGF (mRNA)	MagCellect-negative selection, CD56+ 95.7 ± 0.92%, viability after 6 hours 84.6 ± 2.8%	9–14 weeks	IL-15, SCF
Kennedy et al. 63	GM-CSF, CCL3, CCL1, XCL1	Flow cytometry and intracellular cytokine detection; or MACS positive selection and ELISA	First trimester	Activation of KIR2DS4
Chen et al. 86	Angiogenin, bFGF, VEGF-A, VEGFR, IL-1α	MACS-positive selection, 91.3% CD16−CD56+	LH+7 non-pregnant endometrium
Fu et al. 65	Pleiotrophin, osteopontin, osteoglycin	Ficoll, MACS-negative selection	First trimester	Co-culture with EVT

Ang, angiopoetin; bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor; CCL, C-C motif chemokine; EGF, epidermal growth factor; ELISA, enzyme-

linked immunosorbent assay; ENA, epithelial neutrophil-activating protein; EVT, extravillous trophoblast; G-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; GRO, growth-regulated oncogene; HB-EGF, heparin-binding epidermal growth factor; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; KGF, keratinocyte growth factor; LIF, leukocyte inhibitory factor; MACS, magnetic-activated cell sorting; MCP, monocyte chemotactic protein; M-CSF, macrophage colony-stimulating factor; MIG, monokine induced by interferon-gamma; MIP, macrophage inflammatory protein; PDGF-BB, platelet-derived growth factor beta; PlGF, placental growth factor; RANTES, regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed, and secreted; SCF, stem cell factor; SDF-1, stromal cell-derived factor 1; sIL2-R, soluble interleukin-2 receptor; TGF, transforming growth factor; TIMP-1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1; TNFα, tumor necrosis factor alpha; TPO, thrombopoietin; UPA, urokinase-type plasminogen activator; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor.