Evaluation of NKT cells in patients with endometriosis

• Grant number: 13/12582-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Maurício Simões Abrão
• Grantee: Rebecca Rossener
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine and it may be present in the pelvis, the ovary, peritoneum, intestine, ureter, or bladder. It is a common gynecological disease, occurring in 10-15% of women of reproductive age. The main symptoms include pelvic pain and infertility. The etiologic mechanism of endometriosis is still largely unknown and their behavior varied. The standard "gold" for the diagnosis of endometriosis is surgery, laparoscopy, which makes possible the visualization of lesions suggestive of the disease. Extensive investigations have explored the involvement of genetics, environmental factors, and the immune system in predisposing women to develop endometriosis. The lack of immunosurveillance in the peritoneum is considered to be a causative factor of the disease. Disturbances in immune homeostasis can facilitate deployment, proliferation, and angiogenesis of endometrial tissue. A large number of studies have identified the involvement of several Th1 and Th2 cytokines (interleukins, INF, TNF-±), enzymes (MMP-matriz metalloproteinases), and growth factors (TGF-²) in the development of endometriosis. In recent years, the study of Natural Killer T cells (NKT) capable of producing both Th1 and Th2 as evidence of the correlation of abnormalities in these cells with some autoimmune diseases has increased concern about its functions. There is no study in the literature which assessed the correlation of NKT cells and endometriosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible role of NKT cells in the development of endometriosis.