HUMAN PERITONEAL MACROPHAGE AND T-LYMPHOCYTE POPULATIONS IN MILD AND SEVERE ENDOMETRIOSIS

PROBLEM: The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype of pe ritoneal lymphocyte and macrophage populations in mild versus severe e ndometriosis. METHOD: Using dual staining, antigen expression on perit oneal leukocytes from 24 women with endometriosis and 21 control patie nts was analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: All groups had CD4:CD8 ra tios of 0.6, with subpopulations of CD8+ cells ex pressing cytotoxic m arker S6F1. Mild and severe endometriosis patients had increased CD3/D R+ cells, relative to controls. Two populations of macrophages were id entified by size in all groups, Mild endometriosis patients had increa sed percentages of small macrophages expressing CD14 and HLA DQ, compa red to controls and severe disease patients. In severe disease patient s, antigen expression on small macrophages did not differ from control s, but decreased percentages of large macrophages expressed CD14 relat ive to controls and mild disease patients. CONCLUSION: All women with endometriosis exhibit activated peritoneal lymphocytes, whereas macrop hage expression of CD14 is differentially expressed as a function of d isease stage. Alterations in the functional capacity of these cells ma y contribute to the pathophysiology of this disease.