Effect of hormonal replacement therapy and endometrial injury on regulatory angiogenic cytokines and NK cells.

GUTIERREZ, GABRIELA; GIORGETTE T; JUNOVICH G; MAIER Y; GOETZE C; DUBINSKY V; DAMIANO A; PAGANINI A; LEVI L; GENTILE TERESA; MARKERT, UDO; PASQUALINI S.

Graz, Austria

Congreso; 4th. European Congress of Reproductive Immunology; 2006

ESRI

Different immuno-related mechanisms seem to be involved in uterine receptivity including cytokine-mediated NK angiogenic activity. Considering the hypothesis that unexplained IVF-embryo transfer repeated failures could be related to hormonal replacement therapy, the goal of this work was to evaluate the correlation between the peripheral and endometrial count of NK cells and IL-6/VEGF ratio, in oocyte donation women undergoing ovarian stimulation. Local injury by endometrial biopsy was performed in order to study angiogenic effect. Cytokine levels and NK cell subpopulation ratio were determined by FACS on peripheral blood and endometrial biopsy on implantation window. Results obtained shows that hyperstimulation therapy itself had no effect on NK cells subpopulations or cytokine ratio. However, total NK cell klevels were too low. Local injury increased total NK cell homing (15±1.7 vs. 5.4±5.3) and VEGF levels (27.6±12,4 vs. 15.8±7) but had no effect on CD56bright CD16- NK cells ratio.  Further studies increasing number of patient should be performed in order to confirm if this method could be used for treatment of recurrent implantation failure or abortion.