Department of Gynecological Oncology and Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland.
Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, 71-412 Szczecin, Poland.
Cells. 2021 Feb 25;10(3):487. doi: 10.3390/cells10030487.
Altered immune mechanisms are implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. CTLA-4 is a membrane receptor that favors the anergic state of lymphocytes, which may disrupt the immune system response in the endometriotic environment. In this study, we examined the expression of CTLA-4 on T and B cells by flow cytometry and its levels in blood serum and peritoneal fluid by ELISA. Levels of CTLA-4+ T cells were significantly higher in patients with more advanced endometriosis than in those with less advanced disease. Additionally, the negative correlation of CTLA-4 T lymphocytes and the percentage of NK and NKT-like cells in women with endometriosis and infertility may indicate a different etiopathogenesis of endometriosis accompanying infertility. Our findings shed light on the potential of CTLA-4 in developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in endometriosis management.
免疫机制的改变与子宫内膜异位症的发病机制有关。CTLA-4 是一种膜受体，有利于淋巴细胞的无反应状态，这可能会破坏子宫内膜异位症环境中的免疫系统反应。在这项研究中，我们通过流式细胞术检查了 CTLA-4 在 T 和 B 细胞上的表达，并通过 ELISA 检查了其在血清和腹腔液中的水平。患有更严重子宫内膜异位症的患者的 CTLA-4+T 细胞水平明显高于病情较轻的患者。此外，子宫内膜异位症和不孕女性的 CTLA-4 T 淋巴细胞和 NK 和 NKT 样细胞百分比的负相关可能表明伴随不孕的子宫内膜异位症的发病机制不同。我们的研究结果为 CTLA-4 在开发子宫内膜异位症管理的新诊断和治疗方法方面提供了潜力。
