Leukocyte subpopulations and natural killer activity in endometriosis

Objective - To evaluate cell-mediated immunity in endometriosis. Design - Peritoneal fluid and peripheral blood samples from 19 women with macroscopic evidence of endometriosis and 26 controls were submitted to 2-color flow cytometric analysis to assess lymphocyte subsets, using various combinations of monoclonal antibodies. K562 cells were used in a routine assay by ⁵¹Cr release to measure the cytotoxicity of NK cells in the subjects' peripheral blood. Results - Suppressor T-cells were significantly increased and cytotoxic T-cells significantly decreased in both peritoneal fluid and peripheral blood of the women with endometriosis. NK activity in peripheral blood was decreased in endometriosis patients as compared with controls. Conclusion - An alteration in cell-mediated immunity may be among the pathogenetic, or developing, factors in endometriosis.