Abstract
The female sex hormones have marked effects on the mucosal immune system in the female reproductive tract. Previous studies in this laboratory have shown that IgA, IgG and secretory component levels change in the uterus and the vagina during the reproductive cycle, as well as after hormone treatment.1 Our laboratory and others2,3,4 have found that estradiol regulates the mucosal immune system by a) controlling IgA and IgG movement from blood to tissue, b) stimulating the movement of IgA-positive cells into the female genital tract, and c) regulating the transfer of immunoglobulins from tissue to lumen. In the last case, IgA was found to move through uterine epithelial cells bound to its receptor, secretory component (SC), the external domain of the polymeric IgA receptor. SC production is also regulated by estradiol, IFN-γ5, and IL-6.6
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