Abstract
BackgroundThe presence of regulatory T (Treg) cells in human endometrium is crucial for maintaining immunological homeostasis within the uterus. For this study we decided to evaluate the subpopulations of Treg cells in conditions where a disturbance in the immunological equilibrium in ectopic endometrium and decidua has been observed, such as in cases of ovarian endometriosis (involving local immune cell suppression) and ectopic pregnancy (involving an increase in local immune system activity). We then compared these findings to what we observed in the normal eutopic endometrium of women during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle (with immune cells under individual control).MethodsThe endometrium tissue samples evaluated in our study were obtained from 47 women during one of two kinds of laparoscopic procedures. 16 of the women underwent laparoscopies due to Fallopian tube pregnancies (EP), and 16 due to ovarian endometrioma, while 15 women made up a control group. The presence of regulatory T cells in these tissue samples was evaluated by FACS.ResultsIn our study, the percentages of FOXP3+ cells within the subpopulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes found in the decidua of the patients treated for Fallopian tube pregnancies were statistically significantly lower than both those observed in the ovarian endometriosis tissue samples and those found in the secretory eutopic endometrium samples of the control group.ConclusionThe disturbance in the immunological equilibrium observed in ectopic endometrium and decidua would seem to be related to the alteration in the Treg cell population that occurs in these ectopic tissues.
Highlights
The presence of regulatory T (Treg) cells in human endometrium is crucial for maintaining immunological homeostasis within the uterus
CD25+CD4+FOXP3+ T cells were found in all the examined endometriosis tissue samples. These same cells were observed in 72% of the eutopic endometrium tissue samples but were present in only 29% of the tissue samples taken from patients who had ectopic pregnancies (Figure 1)
We did not observe any differences over the course of the menstrual cycle in the percentage of FOXP3+ positive cells within the subpopulation of CD4+T lymphocytes in ectopic endometrium in the tissue samples from the group of patients with ovarian endometriosis
Summary
The presence of regulatory T (Treg) cells in human endometrium is crucial for maintaining immunological homeostasis within the uterus. For this study we decided to evaluate the subpopulations of Treg cells in conditions where a disturbance in the immunological equilibrium in ectopic endometrium and decidua has been observed, such as in cases of ovarian endometriosis (involving local immune cell suppression) and ectopic pregnancy (involving an increase in local immune system activity). We compared these findings to what we observed in the normal eutopic endometrium of women during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle (with immune cells under individual control). The aim of our present study has been to evaluate the subpopulations of Treg cells in ectopic endometrium and decidua
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
