Authors

Erin Balasubramaniam, M.Sc., Susan Van Noorden, B.Sc., Mona El-Bahrawy, Ph.D.

Vol Issue 98, Issue 4, Pages 898-904

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the level of expression of the cytokines IL-8 and IL-6 and their receptors in fallopian tubes with tubal ectopic gestation.

Design:

Immunohistochemistry was used to study the expression of IL-8, CXCR1, CXCR2, IL-6 and IL-6 receptor alpha in fallopian tubes with tubal ectopic gestation in comparison to normal fallopian tubes.

Setting:

Hospital.

Patients:

We studied fallopian tubes from 50 patients with tubal ectopic gestation and normal fallopian tubes from 25 patients who had hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy for uterine or ovarian lesions.

Interventions:

The expression of the chemokines/cytokines and their receptors was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Main Outcome Measure(s):

Level of expression and tissue distribution of the different antigens.

Results:

IHC results showed that the expression levels of IL-6 and IL-8, as well as CXCR1 were significantly up-regulated particularly near the implantation site in FTs with tubal gestation (p-values 0.001, 0.01 and 0.001 respectively), while the expression levels of CXCR2 and IL-6Rα were not changed in comparison to normal FTs.

Conclusions:

The results suggest a role of IL-6, IL-8, and CXCR1 in the pathophysiology of tubal ectopic gestation.

Read the full text at: http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(12)00639-5/fulltext