Immunoglobulins and secretory component in endometrium and cervix. Influence of inflammation and carcinoma.

The synthesis of immunoglobulins and secretory component in the cervix and the endometrium was studied by tissue culture and immunofluorescence. Out of the 75 cervical biopsies studied, 17 were epidermoid carcinomas, 8 were carcinomas in situ and 23 tissues had inflammatory or metaplastic lesions. A total of 49 samples from endometrium were studied, out of which 22 were in the proliferative phase, 17 were in the secretory phase and 4 were carcinomas. In the cervical tissues without lesions, there were very few plasmacytes, the synthesis of immunoglobulins was low and in 66% of the tissues the synthesis of IgG was equal to or higher than that of IgA. With local modifications, the IgG synthesis was even more preponderant and was very important in epidermoid carcinomas which were infiltrated with numerous IgG plasmacytes. Secretory component was synthesized by almost all the tissues except the epidermoid carcinomas. The endometrium did not synthesize immunoglobulins; secretory component was synthesized only by endometrial tissue in the secretory phase and by 2 of the 4 carcinomas studied. It seems that in the cervix and the endometrium there is no relationship between the production of secretory component and the presence of IgA plasmacytes which probably localise as a result of other influences. The conditions in which the local secretory immunological system would react preferentially remain to be determined.