Journal
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
Volume 20, Issue 6, Pages 1439-1446Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deh806
Keywords
chemokines; cytokines; female reproductive tract; innate immunity; polarized epithelial cells
Categories
Funding
- NCI NIH HHS [CA23108] Funding Source: Medline
- NIAID NIH HHS [T32 AI07363-12, AI51877] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
BACKGROUND: Pro-inflammatory chemokines that attract and cytokines that activate immune cells contribute to normal physiological homeostasis in the female reproductive tract, and are needed to deal effectively with potential pathogenic microbes. Mucosal epithelial cells are capable of producing these factors that communicate with cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems. METHODS: Epithelial cells from Fallopian tube, endometrium and endocervix were isolated and grown to high transepithelial resistance in cell inserts from seven patients who had hysterectomies. Interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and macrophage inflammatory peptide-1 beta (MIP-1 beta) were assessed by Luminex bead analysis or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in epithelial cell conditioned media from the apical and basolateral compartments. RESULTS: With the exception of MCP-1, the seven chemokines/cytokines constitutively produced by the polarized epithelial cells were preferentially secreted apically. A concentration pattern was found in all cases, with IL-8 and IL-6 produced in the greatest quantity. CONCLUSIONS: The concentrations of IL-8, IL-6, G-CSF and MCP-1 are similar to the levels found in reproductive tract fluids of patients with infection. The constitutive secretion and compartmentalization of large quantities of bioactive chemokines and cytokines provide additional evidence for the role of epithelial cells as gatekeepers of innate immune protection in the female reproductive tract.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available