Lipiodol alters murine uterine dendritic cell populations: A potential mechanism for the fertility-enhancing effect of lipiodol

Objective: To determine whether treatment with lipiodol alters the leukocyte population in the uterus. Design: Randomized controlled animal study. Setting: University research laboratory. Animal(s): Sixty female Swiss white mice at proestrous. Intervention(s): Infusion of the female reproductive tract with lipiodol versus infusion with saline versus sham treatment. Main Outcome Measure(s): Counts of uterine macrophages, dendritic cells, and total leukocytes assessed by immunohistochemistry. Result(s): No statistically significant differences were found in the mean number of total leukocytes or macrophages between the three treatment groups. The mean number of CD205(+) dendritic cells showed a statistically significant decrease following lipiodol treatment compared with the sham treatment and saline treatment. The mean number of CD1(+) dendritic cells showed a statistically significant increase following lipiodol treatment compared with the sham treatment. Conclusion(s): Intrauterine lipiodol infusion is associated with a change in the uterine dendritic cell populations in mice. This change may alter the uterine immune response to the fetus, leading to improved fertility. (c) 2005 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.