Abstract
The aim of present study was to investigate the occurence of different lymphocyte subsets in the endometrium of endometriosis patients and in healthy women on every day of the menstrual cycle with special emphasis to the proliferative activity of endometrial cells with Ki-S3 antibody. We also conducted immunohistochemical studies of T-lymphocytes, B-lympho-cytes, macrophages, natural-killer-cells and also of antigens class II of the histocompatibility complex (HLA-DR) during the different phases of the menstrual cycle in endometriosis and non-endometriosis patients.Endometrial lymphocyte subsets show equal quantity and distribution in endometriosis patients and in the control group. After a peak in the early preoliferative phase the absolute number of T-lymphocytes decreases while a predominance of T-suppressor/cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CD8) compared to T-helper/inducer lymphocytes (CD4) occurs towards the end of the menstrual cycle.It can be concluded that endometrium as the potential parent epithelia of endometriotic lesions seems not to be altered in its lymphatic cell content compared to healthy women. Furthermore endometrium is clearly characterised as part of the mucosa associated lymphatic tissue (MALT). T-lymphocytes show specific quantitative changes due to different phases of the menstrual cycle.