Immunity in the Cervix: Interphase between Immune and Cervical Epithelial Cells

Table 1

Immune profile of the cervix during menopause.

---

↓ levels of sex steroid hormones lead to

A. ↑ general inflammation

(i) ↑ levels of proinflammatory cytokines MCP1, TNFα, and IL-6

(ii) ↓TLR

B. ↓ decreased immune response

(i) ↑ susceptibility to infections and malignancies

(ii) ↓ response to vaccination

(iii) ↓ decreased CD4 : CD8 ratio

(iv) ↑ number of differentiated memory cells and effector T cells

(v) ↓ frequency of B cells

(vi) ↑ NK but with low cytotoxicity and ability to produce cytokines

(vii) ↓ antimicrobial peptides

(viii) ↓ cervical mucus

(ix) ↓ senescence of immune cells

(x) ↑ loss of DC in the cervix

(xi) ↑ loss of resident memory T cells

---