title: T regulatory lymphocytes in patients with endometriosis.
abstract: The present study aimed to investigate the presence of T regulatory cells (Tregs) in the peripheral blood (PB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) in females with endometriosis. The present study included 42 patients who underwent laparoscopy between 2010 and 2011. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of Tregs in the PF and PB of the patients. No significant difference was observed in the percentage of Tregs in the patients in the endometriosis group compared with those in the control group in the PF (9.1±5.4 vs. 9.1±3.8%) or the PB (6.5±3.2 vs. 6.5±3.7%). However, the percentage of Tregs was found to be higher in the PF compared with the PB in the patients in the endometriosis and control groups, but significance was found only in those in the control group. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in the Treg concentration in the patients with early stage (I/II) endometriosis compared with those with late stage (III/IV) endometriosis. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the percentage of Tregs and the white blood cell count, lymphocyte count or CA125 concentration in the patients. These findings suggest that the local host‑defense mechanism is deficient in patients with endometriosis, thus endometriosis should not be treated as an autoimmune condition.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20‑954, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gogacz
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20‑954, Poland.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University, Lublin 20‑093, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bojarska-Junak
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology, Medical University, Lublin 20‑093, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tabarkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20‑954, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Semczuk
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20‑954, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rechberger
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin 20‑954, Poland.
authors.forename: Aneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adamiak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen