Antibody levels against galactosyl (alpha1 --> 3) galactose epitopes in cervical mucus from patients with human papillomavirus infection.
OBJECTIVE
The general objective of the present study is to quantify antigalactosyl (alpha1 --> 3) galactose (anti-Gal) antibody levels in the cervical mucus of patients with/without human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and, as specific objectives, to compare these levels in the different HPV subgroups and with the presence of intraepithelial lesions.


METHODS
Sixty women between 18 and 35 years old (mean: 26 years) were studied through the following methods: vaginal cytology, colposcopy, biopsy of suspicious lesions, sample taking for evaluating HPV presence through PCR and hybridization, and quantification of anti-Gal levels using ELISA with laminin antigen extracted from the Engelbreth-Horm-Swarm cell line.


RESULTS
The presence of HPV was detected in 55% of patients; 45% of them had intermediate/high oncogenic risk HPV, 12% had low oncogenic risk HPV, and the other 43% had both subgroups. There were significantly higher anti-Gal levels in the HPV+ group when compared with the HPV- group (P < 0.0001); also, when dividing the HPV+ group into one subgroup with normal cytology and another with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1, we found higher values in the latter group (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in anti-Gal levels in the various HPV subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
High anti-Gal levels are found in the cervical mucus of patients with HPV infection and CIN 1, which suggests the participation of local humoral immunity in cervical lesions.
Hernàndez
Dimas E
DE
Vargas Medical School, Vargas Hospital, Caracas, 1070-A, Venezuela. dimas78@hotmail.com
Cohen
Aaron
A
Fisher
Denisse
D
Correnti
Marìa
M
Harner
Ricardo
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000276:immunology*; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology
D004187:Disaccharides; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C055075:galactosyl-(1-3)galactose