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Characterization of soluble factors from cultures of premalignant cervical epithelium
1Department of Immunology, University College London Medical School, UK.
Purpose:
Immune responses within the cervical microenvironment are likely to play an important role in the natural history of premalignant lesions but the pattern of this response and how it is regulated has not been documented in detail.
Methods:
Explants of premalignant cervical epithelium were cultured in vitro for 24 hours. The culture supernatants were assayed for the presence of IL-1alpha, IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-alpha by ELISA. Aliquots of each supernatant were also added to a CD3-dependent T cell proliferation assay.
Results:
The pattern of cytokines found in different samples was heterogeneous and no significant correlation was observed between the various cytokines examined. The functional effects observed were also diverse, with some supernatants showing strong inhibitory T cell activity, while others were stimulatory.
Conclusion:
Our results document the heterogeneity of the local cytokine microenvironment of premalignant cervical lesions, which may play a role in regulating the immune response associated with such lesions and hence influence clinical outcome.