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Cytokines Concentrations in the Cervical Mucus of Pregnant Women
Author(s) -
Sagawa Tadashi,
Furuta Itsuko,
Negishi Hiroaki,
Kishida Tatsuro,
Begum Sayeda,
Fujimoto Seiichiro
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0756.1996.tb01065.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mucus , cervical mucus , interleukin , pregnancy , elastase , interleukin 1β , outpatient clinic , interleukin 6 , cervix , gynecology , obstetrics , cytokine , enzyme , biology , biochemistry , ecology , genetics , cancer
Objective : Interleukin‐1α, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6 and interleukin‐8 in specimens of cervical mucus were assayed to assess defense mechanisms against infection in the cervical canal during pregnancy. Methods : Two hundred and thirty‐nine pregnant women who attended the obstetrics outpatient clinic in our hospital were included as subjects. Cervical mucus was collected with a newly developed collection swab, and cytokines and granulocyte elastase in the samples of cervical mucus were quantified using enzyme immunoassay kits. The 1‐factor ANOVA, the Kruskal‐Wallis test, and scheffé's F were used for statistical analysis. Results : Interleukin‐1α, interleukin‐1β and interleukin‐8 levels rose significantly as the concentrations of granulocyte elastase increased. High concentrations of interleukin‐1α (75.36 ± 19.93 pg/m l ) and inteukin‐1β (1005.29 ± 238.75 pg/m l ) and interleukin‐8 (4822.4 ± 633.2 pg/m l ) were found in the specimens from the group of high granulocyte elastase levels. Conclusions : These cytokines might be involved in defense mechanisms against ascending infection from the vagina.