The immune cell profile of human fallopian tubes in health and benign pathology: a systematic review

Charlotte H Rigby, Fatima Aljassim, Simon G Powell, James N R Wyatt, James Wyatt, Christopher J Hill, Dharani K Hapangama
Journal of reproductive immunology · 2022 · vol. 152 , pp. 103646 · doi:10.1016/j.jri.2022.103646 · PMID:35644062 · W4280599379
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This systematic review analyzed 42 studies and found CD8+ T cells are the most abundant immune cells in healthy fallopian tubes, with macrophages increasing in conditions like ectopic pregnancy and salpingitis.

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Abstract

The fallopian tubes (FT) play a key role in fertility by facilitating the movement of gametes to promote fertilisation and, subsequently, passage of the zygote for implantation. Histologically, the FT mucosa consists of three main cell types: secretory, ciliated and peg cells. In addition, several studies have reported the presence of immune cells. This systematic review aims to present a comprehensive analysis of the immune cell populations in the human FT, both in health and benign pathology, to promote a better understanding of tubal pathologies and their influence on infertility. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across five databases and augmented with manual citation chaining. Forty-two eligible studies were selected in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Following screening, risk of bias assessments were conducted, data extracted and the findings presented thematically. T lymphocytes, predominantly CD8+ T cells, represent the most abundant immune cell population within the healthy FT, with B lymphocytes, macrophages, NK cells and dendritic cells also localised to the tubal mucosa. There is evidence to suggest that lymphocyte and macrophage populations are susceptible to changes in the concentration of reproductive hormones. Tubal ectopic pregnancy, salpingitis, hydrosalpinx and endometriosis are all characterised by an increased population of macrophages in comparison to healthy FT. However, given the inconsistent evidence presented between studies, and the lack of studies examining all immune cell subtypes in tubal pathologies, only limited conclusions can be formulated on pathology-specific immune cell populations, and further research is required for validation.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Pregnancy, Tubal Pregnancy, Tubal Pregnancy, Tubal Pregnancy, Tubal Pregnancy, Tubal Salpingitis Salpingitis Salpingitis Salpingitis Salpingitis CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes Fallopian Tubes Fallopian Tubes Fallopian Tubes Fallopian Tubes Female

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (64)

Cited by (2)

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