FIG. 2.

Vaginal immune cells in follicular, luteal, and post-DMPA treatment. Immunohistochemistry staining of paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of vaginal biopsies taken during the follicular phase (A, D, G, J), luteal phase (B, E, H, K), and 3 months after DMPA injection (C, F, I, L). Vaginal tissues exposed to DMPA showed significantly increased density of CD3⁺ (A, B, C), CD8⁺ (D, E, F), and CCR5⁺ (G, H, I) cells compared to the luteal phase, and greater expression of HLA-DR⁺ (J, K, L) cells compared to the follicular phase. Cell phenotypes were identified using specific monoclonal antibodies against each marker, and cell density was expressed per square millimeter of tissue (cells/mm²).