[Induction of nitric oxide synthesis in mononuclear cells in culture using peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis, in relation to the percentage of T lymphocytes and NK cells identified in an such environment]. / Inducción de la síntesis de óxido nítrico en células mononucleares en cultivo utilizando líquido peritoneal de mujeres con endometriosis, en relación al porcentaje de linfocitos T y células NK identificado en dicho ambiente.

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED Even though endometriosis represents a reproductive health problem of the greatest importance due to the fact that it is one of the most common benign gynecological conditions, its aetiology is still unknown. The most accepted hypothesis is the one proposed by John Sampson, suggesting that the endometrial cells and tissues derived from menstrual flow during uterine scaling reach the peritoneum through the tubes by reversed flow and, under the specific conditions of the peritoneal microenvironment, they are able to implant and proliferate in an ectopic manner. Some evidence shows that the number and activation of macrophages are increased in the peritoneal medium of women with endometriosis. It is known that the activation of this cell group leads to a greater synthesis of diverse molecules associated with this condition. OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the association between the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis induction capacity of the peritoneal fluid, the percentage of cooperative T lymphocytes and NK cells present in the peritoneal medium of women with different stages of endometriosis, as compared to fertile and healthy women. We also tried to find the correlation between the concentration of TNF-alpha identified in the peritoneal fluid of both groups with the NO synthesis induction that was carried out. Material and methods. The study group was formed by women with endometriosis (WEN) from the National Institute of Perinatology, and the control group was formed by patients attending the Family Planning Clinic of the Northeast Regional Unit (Culiacán, Sin.) (HFW). A NO synthesis induction was performed using lymphocytes stimulated with peritoneal fluid from WEN and HFW in order to measure the concentration of cooperative T lymphocytes and NK cells, the TNF-alpha of the peritoneal fluid was also measured. RESULTS: The NO synthesis induction capacity of peritoneal fluid observed with lymphocytes from a culture was greater than the one presented by healthy women. CONCLUSION: Nitric oxide was recently described as a potent inhibitor of effector cytotoxic activity associated to the immunological response of cooperative T lymphocytes of the TH-1 type promoting cytotoxic activity on different cell strains. Evidence suggests that NO inhibits INF-alpha synthesis, the later being a potent proliferation and cytotoxic activity inducer in NK cells, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and cooperative T lymphocytes. A role of NO as a regulator of NK cell activity has also been described.