EVALUATION OF HORMONAL EFFECTS ON PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOSIS IN NORMAL MENSTRUATING FEMALES

Abstract

Background: Apoptosis is a physiological type of cell death plays an important role in the regulation and maintenance of cell populations in tissues upon physiological and some pathological conditions.Objective: To evaluate the hormonal status and peripheral blood lymphocyte apoptosis in normal menstruating female during normal menstrual cycle.Methods: 50 healthy menstruating females with regular cycles were studied. Two samples of peripheral blood were aspirated; the first during the ovulation day and the second at the first day of the menstrual cycle. Lymphocyte separation was done; by Trypan blue exclusion test, and the morphological features of lymphocyte apoptosis by the DNA binding dye (Hoechst stains). Hormonal assessments of FSH, LH, Estradiol, and progesterone were also done.Results: Lymphocyte apoptosis in the first day of cycle was (9.31%±1.7) using Trypan blue exclusion test and (9.76%±1.36) using Hoechst stain while at the day of ovulation the percentages were (2.33%±0.7) and (1.38%±0.84) respectively with P value < 0.00001. Serum level of hormones were FSH (5.76±1.77; 9.14±3.34), LH(3.65±1.4; 28.35±18.94), Estradiol (40.05±14.73; 206.38±70.3) and Progesterone (0.35±0.13; 1.41±0.98) in the first day of the menstrual cycle and during ovulation respectively which showed a highly significant difference with P value <0.00001.Conclusion: The increment in the lymphocyte apoptosis in the first day of the menstrual cycle compared with ovulation day is mostly due to low ovarian steroid hormones and gonadotrophins. This might confirm the hypothesis that FSH, LH, estrogen and progesterone act as survival hormones for different tissues including peripheral blood lymphocytes.Key words: Lymphocyte apoptosis, FSH, LH, estrogen, progesterone, Hoechst stains