TABLE 2.
Mean relative basal cytokine production by PBMCs treated with E2 or P4, or both, compared with that by non-hormone-treated controls
| Cytokine | Mean relative basal level of cytokine production (±SEM) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2 (10−8 M) | P4 (10−6 M) | P4 (10−10 M) | E2 (10−8 M) + P4 (10−6 M) | E2 (10−8 M) + P2 (10−10 M) | |
| Proinflammatory markers | |||||
| IFN-γa | 1.16 (0.18) | 2.93 (1.66) | 2.15 (0.59) | 1.67 (0.40) | 1.08 (0.21) |
| IL-1β | 1.11 (0.25) | 3.90 (3.13) | 1.61 (0.46)b | 0.93 (0.11) | 2.69 (1.52) |
| IL-2 | 1.04 (0.19) | 0.93 (0.21) | 1.45 (0.50) | 0.96 (0.21) | 1.15 (0.15) |
| IL-6 | 1.17 (0.24) | 4.46 (3.68) | 1.58 (0.39) | 0.94 (0.13) | 4.62 (3.33) |
| IL-8 | 1.06 (0.21) | 1.33 (0.68) | 1.28 (0.22)b | 0.85 (0.11) | 1.76 (0.61) |
| IL-12 | 1.05 (0.09) | 1.29 (0.17) | 1.14 (0.08)b | 1.17 (0.08) | 1.10 (0.09)b |
| TNF-αc | 0.83 (0.41)b | 1.32 (0.68) | 0.92 (0.11) | 1.01 (0.19) | 1.56 (0.57) |
| Anti-inflammatory markers | |||||
| IL-1ra | 1.10 (0.15) | 0.88 (0.51) | 1.21 (0.15) | 0.94 (0.10) | 1.26 (0.19) |
| IL-10 | 3.74 (2.64) | 4.32 (2.68) | 2.33 (0.94) | 2.19 (1.03) | 3.99 (1.76) |
| TGF-βd | 0.98 (0.08) | 0.86 (0.04)b | 0.92 (0.07) | 0.94 (0.04) | 0.89 (0.05) |
a
The results for 5 of 12 participants were below the limit of detection.
b
P < 0.05.
c
The results for 2 of 12 participants were below the limit of detection.
d
n = 7.