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Collection, Isolation, and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Human Endocervical Samples
Published on: July 6, 2014
Menstrual cycle dependent fluctuations in NK and T-lymphocyte subsets from non-pregnant human endometrium
1Education & Research Centre, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. cliona@vherc.ucd.ie.
Insights
Endometrial natural killer (NK) cells increase dramatically during the late secretory phase, while T cells decrease. These shifts in immune cells may support maternal immune tolerance for embryo implantation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Reproductive Biology
- Gynecology
Background:
- The endometrium undergoes dynamic immune cell changes throughout the menstrual cycle.
- Understanding these fluctuations is crucial for reproductive success and immune tolerance during implantation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the proportions of endometrial lymphocyte subpopulations across different phases of the menstrual cycle.
- To investigate the dynamic changes in immune cell populations within the human endometrium.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry was used to analyze lymphocyte populations.
- Samples were collected during the early proliferative (EP), late proliferative (LP), early secretory (ES), and late secretory (LS) phases.
- Specific cell types analyzed included NK cells, T cells (CD8+), double negative (DN) T cells, and natural T (NT) cells.
Main Results:
- Natural killer (NK) cells significantly increased from 26.4% (LP phase) to 83.2% (LS phase).
- T cells decreased from 55.06% to 6.7% between the LP and LS phases.
- Potential regulatory T cell populations, such as double negative (DN) and natural T (NT) cells, showed significant increases in the LS phase.
Conclusions:
- Endometrial lymphocyte composition varies significantly across the menstrual cycle.
- These immune cell dynamics are likely influenced by hormonal regulation.
- The observed changes may facilitate maternal immune tolerance necessary for successful embryo implantation.
Problem:
To establish the relative proportions of endometrial lymphocyte subpopulations during the menstrual cycle.
Method Of Study:
Lymphocytes were investigated by flow cytometry, during the early proliferative (EP), late proliferative (LP), early secretory (ES) and late secretory (LS) phases of the menstrual cycle.
Results:
Between the LP and LS phases, there was an increase in NK cells from 26.4% to 83.2% (P = 0.0017) of the CD45+ population. T cells decreased from 55.06% to 6.7% (P = 0.0017). Within the T-cell population, CD8+ cells decreased significantly from 63.0% in the LP phase to 54.2% in the LS phase (P = 0.04). In contrast, potential regulatory populations such as double negative (DN) T cells CD3+CD4-CD8- and natural T cells (NT) CD3+CD56+, increased significantly in the LS phase (P = 0.05; P = 0.03). gammadelta T cells, predominantly of the DN and NT phenotypes remained consistently low at all stages of the cycle (2.34%).
Conclusion:
Endometrial lymphocyte fluctuations during the menstrual cycle may reflect hormonal regulation of maternal immunity, thereby promoting tolerance at the time of implantation.
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