Research Communication Mediators of Inflammation, 12(3), 131 /138 (June 2003)

of ectopic and eutopic endometriotic tissues, is common in women at reproductive age, and may affect fertility. The role of macrophages in the pathogenesis is well proved, but engagement of T cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis is a matter of controversy Aims: T-cell involvement in the pathogenesis of endometriosis was the objective of our study performed on women aged 24 /46 years with diagnosed endometriosis. All the patients that were studied underwent diagnostic laparoscopy. Methods: We evaluated the distribution of T-lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood (PB), peritoneal fluid (PF) and in endometriotic tissues (ET), as well as cytokines [interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-g] production by peripheral blood