Analysis of the activation of NK cell and the levels of prostaglandins andinterleukin-6 in endometriosis women's peritoneal fluid

Objective To investigate the level of prostaglandins(PGs) and interleukin-6(IL-6) in the peritoneal fluid(PF) of the women with endometriosis(EM), and the relations of PF to the activation of NK cell . Methods There were 42 cases of EM and 12 cases of non- EM with similar symptoms. The LDH releasing assay was used to measure the activity of NK cell. The concentration of IL-6 and PGE_2 were measured by radioimmunoassay. Results After two hours,the inhibition rate of NK cell activity in EM and non-EM decreased by 34.8%±26.2% and 66.1%±30.4%, respectively. The difference was significant statistically (P0.01). The inhibition rate had positive correlation with the classifications of EM(r=0.6207,P0.01). The concentration of IL-6 in PF was 0.62±0.45 μg/L in EM TypeⅠ~Ⅱ, 0.48±0.35 μg/L in EM TypeⅢ~Ⅳ, and 0.41±0.38 μg/L in non-EM. There was no significant statistically among them(P0.05). The level of interleukin-6 in PF had no relation with the inhibition rate of NK cell activity. The concentration of PGE_2 and PGF_2, both increased significantly in EM,which correlated especially with the suppressive effect of NK activity in EM TypeⅠ~Ⅱ.Conclusion PF of EM can significantly decrease NK cell activity in vitro. The increasing concentration of PGs in PF of EM TypeⅠ~Ⅱ may inhibit activity of the NK. 【