title: Inhibitory effect of interferon and tumor necrosis factor on human luteal function in vitro.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether immunological mechanisms may be involved in human luteal function.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effects of the cytokines, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) on steroidogenesis by human luteal cells were examined in vitro. The dispersed human luteal cells, obtained from a total of 17 women at laparotomy, were cultured separately in the presence or absence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and IFNs/TNF-alpha with the medium being replaced at 48 hours. The medium was collected at 48 and 96 hours for steroid assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The IFN-alpha had no significant effect on the production of estradiol or progesterone (P), whereas a dose-related inhibition of basal, as well as hCG-stimulated P formation, was observed after the addition of IFN-gamma (10 to 1,000 U/mL). Progesterone production was inhibited to about 45% of the control at 48 hours and even lower at 96 hours (n = 6, P < 0.001). The combination of IFN-gamma and low doses of TNF-alpha induced a further significant inhibition, whereas there was no effect of TNF-alpha alone. This inhibitory effect of IFN-gamma could be completely neutralized with a monoclonal antibody to IFN-gamma. Incubation with the antibody alone increased the production of P from luteal cells in culture, suggesting a local tonic inhibitory action of endogenous IFN-gamma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interferon-gamma and TNF-alpha, whose function classically is known as antiviral, also may play a role in human luteal regression by inhibiting luteal P production.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, China.
authors.forename: H Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: W X
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Z D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000378:metabolism*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007371:Interferon-gamma