Intracellular Cytokine Production in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes: A Comparison of Values in Infertile and Fertile Women
Abstract
To analyze the relation of the fertility and pregnancy of women of childbearing age to the intracellular (IC) production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and interleukins 2 and 4 (IL-2 and IL-4). Intracellular cytokine production in peripheral blood CD3(+) CD4(+)lymphocytes was analyzed by flow cytometry in 185 women being treated for infertility and 50 fertile women of childbearing age.
Infertile women have a significantly higher IC production of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4 and higher ratios of TNF-alpha/IL-2, TNF-alpha/IL-4, and TNF-alpha/IFN-gamma compared to the fertile women. Cytokines produced by Th lymphocytes are important in orchestrating the immune response during conception, and Th-cell dysregulation could be a reason for infertility.