Objectives: We measured the concentration of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-2 soluble receptor (sIL-2R) in peritoneal fluid (PF) of patients with unexplained infertility.
Materials and methods: PF was obtained during laparoscopy from 7 women with unexplained infertility (UI) and 11 women with benign noninflammatory ovarian tumors. All laparoscopies were performed in follicular phase of the cycle. IL-2 and sIL-2R concentrations were measured in PF supernate stored in -70 degrees C until analysis using ELISA method (ENDOGEN).
Results: We found significantly (p = 0.009) lower concentration of sIL-2R in PF from patients with UI (303.844 U/ml) than in reference group (556.385 U/ml). The level of IL-2 was not detectable in 2 cases from women with UI and 5 cases from reference group. The concentration of IL-2 in PF did not differ (p = 0.135) between patients with UI (2.346 pg/ml) and those from reference group (1.064 pg/ml).
Conclusions: The concentration of sIL-2R in PF of patients with UI was lower than in those from reference group. This may be the factor responsible for insufficient local immunosuppression, affecting reproduction.