Women with endometriosis show a defect in natural killer activity resulting in a decreased cytotoxicity to autologous endometrium

Oosterlynck DJ, D J Oosterlynck, F J Cornillie, Cornillie FJ, Waer M, M Waer, M Vandeputte, Vandeputte M, P R Koninckx, Koninckx PR
Fertility and sterility · 1991 · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)54414-8 · PMID:2065804
other OA: closed public-domain-us ⤵ 4 in-corpus citations
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Women with endometriosis have decreased natural killer cell activity, leading to reduced cytotoxicity against their own endometrial cells, which also show partial resistance to this cytotoxicity.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The role of natural killer (NK) cells in the decreased cellular immunity of women with endometriosis was investigated. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS: Thirty-four women were investigated prospectively before a CO2-laser laparoscopy for infertility and/or pain at the University Hospital Gasthuisberg. Endometriosis was scored blindly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The cytotoxicity, directed against the endometrium, was mediated by NK cells because this cytotoxicity could be removed by treating the effector cells with the NK-specific anti-Leu-11b monoclonal antibody. Consequently, we evaluated prospectively in those women the lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity toward NK sensitive (K562-assay) and autologous endometrial target cells. RESULTS: The NK activity (K562-assay) and the cytotoxicity against autologous endometrial cells were similarly decreased in women with endometriosis and correlated with the severity of the disease. Using heterologous effector cells, the decreased chromium release in women with endometriosis was less pronounced but still present. CONCLUSION: The decreased cytotoxicity to endometrial cells in women with endometriosis is mainly because of a defect in NK activity but is also partially because of a resistance of the endometrium to NK cytotoxicity.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Cytotoxicity, Immunologic Endometriosis Endometrium Killer Cells, Natural Chromium Radioisotopes Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Endometrium Female Flow Cytometry Humans Immunity, Cellular Killer Cells, Natural Killer Cells, Natural Leukocyte Count Prospective Studies

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