Effect of Lignocaine on IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 in Peritoneal Macrophages and Endometriotic Stromal Cells

The objective was to evaluate the effect of lignocaine on cytokine expression and secretion in vitro in peritoneal fluid macrophages and endometriotic stromal cells.

Experimental in vitro study on human cells.

Peritoneal fluid (n = 10) and samples from endometriotic cysts (n = 7) were collected from 13 women (women with endometriosis n = 8, and healthy controls n = 5) during surgery for clinical reasons.

Macrophages from the peritoneal fluid and cells from the inside of the endometriotic cysts capsules were isolated and cultivated for 24 to 48 hours in medium with and without the supplement of lignocaine 0.1 or 1.0 mg/mL. Relative gene expression of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-8 was evaluated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction and compared between treated and untreated cells with Wilcoxon matched pairs. The concentrations of MCP-1, IL-6, and IL-8 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were compared between treated and untreated cells with Wilcoxon matched pairs.

The gene expression and protein secretion of IL-8 in endometriotic stromal cells after incubation with lignocaine 0.1 mg/mL were significantly decreased after 24 hours compared to the controls ( P = .028 and P = .018). Macrophages from healthy controls had a significant lower gene expression of all tested cytokines ( P = .043) after treatment with lignocaine, but there were no significant differences in protein level. Macrophages from women with endometriosis showed diverging results since 3 of 5 samples showed increased gene expression of 1 (n = 2) or 2 cytokines (n = 1) after lignocaine treatment.

Lignocaine can affect the gene expression and secretion of some proinflammatory cytokines in vitro.