T helper 17 axis and endometrial macrophage disruption in menstrual effluent provides potential insights into the pathogenesis of endometriosis

Jessica E Miller, Harshavardhan Lingegowda, Danielle J Sisnett, Christine N Metz, Peter K Gregersen, Madhuri Koti, Chandrakant Tayade
F&S science · 2022 · vol. 3(3) , pp. 279–287 · doi:10.1016/j.xfss.2022.04.007 · PMID:35697654 · W4229026552
article OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 9 in-corpus citations
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study analyzed immune cells, cytokines, and transcriptomes in menstrual effluent, finding altered T helper 17 axis and macrophage pathways in women with endometriosis compared to healthy donors.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify immune cells, cytokines, and immune cell transcriptome in the menstrual effluent (ME) of women with endometriosis compared with that of healthy donors. DESIGN: Live immune cells were isolated from human ME samples and were analyzed by flow cytometry to identify various immune cell populations. Selected cytokines from the same patients were evaluated using multiplex cytokine analyses. The transcriptome of the immune cell population was subsequently profiled using NanoString nCounter's PanCancer Immune panel. SETTING: Academic institution. PATIENT(S): Surgically confirmed endometriosis patients (n = 14) and healthy fertile donors (n = 19). INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): In-depth immune cell profiling of ME obtained from women with endometriosis compared with that of healthy donors. RESULT(S): 17 axis (IL10, IL23A, and IL6), as well as genes associated with macrophage signaling/activation (CD74, CD83, CXCL16, and CCL3). CONCLUSION(S): 17 axis, macrophages, and transforming growth factor α were altered in the ME of women with endometriosis compared with that of healthy donors. These findings shed light on the potential immune pathways that could partly explain the pathogenesis and progression of endometriosis. Future large-scale studies on ME samples are warranted to exploit the use of these markers to study the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Macrophages Macrophages Macrophages Macrophages Macrophages Macrophages Macrophages Macrophages

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (45)

Cited by (9)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-04T01:30:01.192114+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-27T00:34:43.004549+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK