The production of placental protein 14 and interleukin 6 by human endometrial cells in culture.

Epithelial and stromal cells prepared from endometrium taken at different times in the menstrual cycle were grown in primary culture and the production of placental protein 14 (PP14) and interleukin-6 (IL6) measured. Only the epithelial cells produced PP14. Epithelial cells from endometrium in the late secretory phase produced significantly greater amounts of PP14 (42 +/- 5.8 ng/24 h) compared with that produced by cells from early secretory and proliferative endometrium (16 +/- 1.7 and 11 +/- 1.9 ng/24 h respectively). PP14 production by cells from endometrium at all stages in the cycle was increased by progesterone, or progesterone and oestradiol together, while oestradiol alone had no effect on PP14 production. The greatest stimulation was seen during the early secretory phase when stimulated levels of PP14 reached those obtained during the late secretory phase. IL6 production by epithelial cells also varied depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle. More IL6 was produced by the cells prepared from the endometrium in the proliferative phase (10.9 +/- 0.56 ng/24 h) compared with that produced by cells from early and late secretory endometrium (2.5 +/- 0.19 and 1.45 +/- 0.09 ng/24 h respectively). Addition of steroids to the media stimulated the production of IL6 by cells from proliferative and early secretory endometrium but decreased IL6 production from cells in the late secretory phase. IL6 was also produced by stromal cells but could only be detected in supernatants of cells prepared from late secretory endometrium, and the amounts produced (0.8 +/- 0.09 ng/24 h) were less than that produced by epithelial cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)