title: Evaluation of endometrial natural killer cell expression of CD4, CD103, and CD16 cells in women with unexplained infertility.
abstract: To determine whether natural killer cell (NK) concentrations in the mid-secretory endometrial tissue of women with unexplained infertility differ from those in the mid-secretory endometrial tissue of fertile women.
  
  
  
  This study was conducted with 22 patients with unexplained infertility caused by unsuccessful ovulation induced with gonadotrophins and 12 healthy fertile women, who formed a control group. Mid-secretory endometrial tissue samples were obtained with a Pipelle catheter, and the endometrial NK cell phenotypes were determined by flow cytometry.
  
  
  
  The median number of CD4+ cells in the endometrium was significantly lower in women with unexplained infertility compared with in the fertile controls (3.31 vs. 5.81; p=0.02). The CD4(+)/CD8(+) cell ratio in the unexplained-infertility group was significantly lower than that in the control group (0.42 vs. 0.76, p=0.01). The median number of CD103(+) cells in the endometrium of the infertile group was significantly lower than that in the endometrium of the control group (4.40 vs. 6.73, p=0.02). The median number of CD16(+) cells was significantly higher in infertile women than in control women (0.12 vs. 0.001, p=0.01).
  
  
  
  Significant reductions in the numbers of CD4(+) and CD103(+) cells as well as in the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio but an increased number of CD16(+) cells in the endometrium of infertile women suggest that disordered NK cell activity may be a contributor to the etiology of unexplained infertility.
authors: American Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: sertanaksu@yahoo.com.
authors: Sertan
authors: S
authors: Aksu
authors: Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors: Eray
authors: E
authors: Çalışkan
authors: Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors: Yigit
authors: Y
authors: Cakiroglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D002469:Cell Separation; D004717:Endometrium / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007247:Infertility, Female; D039001:Integrin alpha Chains / Q000378:metabolism*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D039001:Integrin alpha Chains; D017452:Receptors, IgG; C091367:alpha E integrins