Analysis of the effects of chronic endometritis on endometrial immunocompetent cells

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K18189
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56040:Obstetrics and gynecology-related
• Research Institution: Shiga University of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: Kitazawa Jun 滋賀医科大学, 医学部, 医員 (30823900)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 慢性子宮内膜炎 / ヘルパーT細胞 / 形質細胞 / 着床障害 / flow cytometry / Th1細胞 / Th2細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Chronic endometritis (CE) is a condition that causes implantation failure. Immune cells in the endometrium play an important role in implantation. I investigated the distribution of a subgroup of helper T cells (Th cells), a type of immune cells, in the human implantation endometrium and their influence on the pathogenesis of CE.
The analysis showed that the CE group had significantly more Th1 cells and fewer Th2 cells than the non-CE group. In addition, Th1 cells increased and Th2 cells decreased as the number of plasma cells appearing in CE increased. Furthermore, fluorescent immunostaining of the endometrium revealed that CD4-positive Th cells significantly congregated around the plasma cells. Thus, it was suggested that CE may be involved in implantation failure by causing fluctuations in Th cells.

Free Research Field

産婦人科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は着床障害の原因として世界的に注目されているCEの病態メカニズムについて、その一端を解明した重要な研究である。CEの主たる原因は細菌感染と考えられており、治療として広域抗菌薬が使用される。CEを治癒できれば、着床率や生児獲得率は非CE患者と同等に改善するが、一部に抗菌薬治療抵抗性のCEが存在する。CEの病態メカニズムの解析が進むことで、抗菌薬以外の新しい治療方法の開発につながることが期待される。