Women | Pigs | ||
---|---|---|---|
LGT | Immune cells | Compared to the other regions of the female genital tract (FGT) the vaginal mucosa houses only few lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells (APC) [95]. The cervix, on the other hand, is an immunologic hotspot with the highest concentration of lymphocytes (both T cells and B cells) and APC [55,95]. | The number of plasma cells in the vaginal mucosa has been shown to increase during estrous [32,67]. |
No significant changes, but a slight increase in the number of immune cells in the secretory phase has been shown [57]. | No significant changes was seen in the cervical mucosa [35], but a tendency was found, that the number of intraepithelial macrophages increased in estrous and that the number of lymphocytes, plasmacells and macrophages in the subepithelial tissue increased during estrous [32,35]. | ||
The activity of cytotoxic CD8 T cell in the lower genital tract (LGT) is persistent during the cycle [96]. | The cervix does not show infiltration by neutrophils during estrus [29,67,97]. | ||
Antibody response | The total IgG and IgA levels on the mucosa are high after menstruation in the proliferative phase, decrease significantly around ovulation and keeps a medium level in the luteal phase [65,66,98–100]. | The amount of antibodies on the mucosa has been shown to decrease during estrus/ around ovulation [67]. | |
UGT | Immune cells | Only few neutrophils are present during the proliferative phase but the number increase towards the menses and are high during the menses [96]. Generally polymorphnuclear leukocytes, macrophages, NK cells and T cells accumulate in the endometrium in the luteal phase during high progesterone level [58,59,96] and the number of macrophages reaches maximum during menses [101]. | The uterine mucosa shows an infiltration of neutrophils in proestrous and estrous [29,35,62,97] positively correlated to the estradiol levels [29]. |
The lymphoid follicles, in the subepithelial tissue develop during the proliferative phase, reach the largest size during midcycle, remain large during the secretory phase and almost disappear at the menses [58,102]. | Intraepithelial and subepithelial macrophages and lymphocytes are also more numerous during estrus and early diestrus [29,32] with the peak in number of lymphocytes during early diestrus [104]. | ||
Activity of cytotoxic T cells in the mucosa is suppressed in the secretory phase [96]. | There were no reportings on difference in size of the lymphoid aggregates during cycle [61]. | ||
The number of APC in the fallopian tubes is significantly higher after ovulation in the luteal phase compared to the preovulatory follicular phase [103]. | Studies have found either no variation in number of immune cells in the fallopian tube mucosa during the estrous cycle [97] or an increase in number of plasma cells and lymphocytes during estrous [32]. | ||
Antibody response | The uterine secretions display the highest levels of IgG around the ovulation/midcycle [57]. | Further studies are needed on the fluctuation of antibody levels in the upper porcine FGT. | |
The Fallopian tubes show a response similar to the lower FGT with a lower level of antibodies around midcycle [57]. |