Relationship between activation of endometrial CD56+ natural killers and the character of leiomyoma nodules growth in patients with uterine leiomyoma.

Abstract

In patients with different clinical variants of uterine leiomyoma (large or small size, presence or absence of intensive proliferation of tumor cells) the comparative analysis of endometrial CD56+ natural killers (NK) activation was carried out. The relative content of CD56+ cells, expressing of CD158a and CD158i molecules from KIR (killer immunoglobuline-like receptors) family, interferon γ (IFNγ) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1), was estimated by flow cytometry method. It was found that in the endometrium of all patients with uterine leiomyoma independently of tumor size the content of CD56+ cells and the amount of NK, expressing both activating (CD158i) and inhibitory (CD158a) receptors, were increased. In group of women with stably small uterine leiomyoma the amount of CD56+IFNγ+ lymphocytes was increased, and in women with rapidly growing tumor the elevation of NK, expressing TGFβ1, was noted. Differential analysis of data in patients with large leiomyoma in dependence of type of leiomyoma growth was shown that in patients with the high level of tumor cells proliferation the amount of CD56+ NK and the ratio of NK with activating and inhibitory receptors were lower and the content of CD56+TGFβ1+ lymphocytes was higher than that in women with leiomyoma, which grew due to accumulation of the extracellular matrix components. Received results showed on the suppression of cytotoxic activity of endometrial NK in patients with uterine leiomyoma with increased proliferation. These changes can be used as additional diagnostic criteria of type of leiomyoma growth.