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Stability of Serum Interleukin‐10 Levels During the Menstrual Cycle
Author(s) -
Maskill Joanna K.,
Laird Susan M.,
Blakemore Alexandra I. F.,
Okon M.,
Li T. C.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of reproductive immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.071
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1600-0897
pISSN - 1046-7408
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0897.1997.tb00309.x
Subject(s) - menstrual cycle , luteal phase , endocrinology , luteinizing hormone , medicine , pregnancy , interleukin , hormone , cytokine , menstruation , physiology , biology , genetics
PROBLEM: Menstrual cycle‐associated variability in the circulating levels of several cytokines can be a confounding factor in measurements of in vivo cytokine levels in clinical studies. Since pregnancy‐associated increases in interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) levels are well documented, we have investigated the variability in serum levels of IL‐10 in healthy women at different stages of the menstrual cycle to ascertain whether this is a problem in comparative studies of circulating IL‐10 levels. METHOD OF STUDY: We obtained fifty‐four successive serum samples at points in the menstrual cycles of 12 healthy fertile women, precisely timed by measurement of the luteinizing hormone surge, and measured the interleukin‐10 levels. RESULTS: Levels of IL‐10 in successive serum samples from each woman taken on days LH‐7 (that is seven days prior to LH surge), LH‐4, LH+1, LH+7, and LH+10 showed that IL‐10 does not vary in a systematic way during the menstrual cycle. CONCLUSION: These results validate the sampling of women in studies of IL‐10 levels in various clinical situations and establish that these levels are not dependent on menstrual cycle dates. They also suggest that menstrual cycle‐related changes in IL‐1 are not mediated by IL‐10. The rise in progesterone in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is not mirrored by a rise in the circulating IL‐10 level, which implies either that the pregnancy‐associated rise is not related to progesterone or that it is only observed at the higher progesterone levels in pregnancy.