Effects of leptin on the production of cytokines by cultured human endometrial stromal and epithelial cells

Objective: To evaluate the effects of leptin on the production of interleukin (IL)-6 family cytokines and chemokines by human endometrial stromal cells (ESC) and epithelial cells. Design: The effects of leptin on the production of IL-6, IL-11, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), IL-8, growth-regulated oncogene (GRO)-alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3alpha by ESC and the endometrial epithelial cell line HHUA were investigated. Setting: Research laboratory at a medical university. Patient(s): Eight endometrial specimens in the late proliferative phase were used for the isolation of ESC. Intervention(s): ESC and HHUA were incubated for 24 hours with recombinant human leptin. Main Outcome Measure(s): The concentration of IL-6, IL-11, LIF, IL-8, GRO-alpha, MCP-1, and MIP-3alpha were measured using ELISAs. Result(s): Unstimulated ESC and HHUA constitutively secreted IL-6, IL-11, LIF, IL-8, GRO-alpha, MCP-1, and MIP-3alpha. The increase in levels of IL-6, IL-8, GRO-alpha, MCP-1, and MIP-3alpha in the culture media of ESC and HHUA paralleled the addition of increasing amounts of leptin. In contrast, the levels of IL-11 and LIF were not affected by leptin administration. Conclusion(s): The present findings suggest that leptin may be an additional modulator of IL-6 and chemokine expression in the endometrium. Leptin may contribute to the normal and pathological processes of human reproduction by the regulation of these cytokines in the local environment. (C) 2003 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.