Human semen induces interleukin 10 and 70 kDa heat shock protein gene transcription and inhibits interferon-gamma messenger RNA production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The influence of semen on immunity in sexually active women has been scarcely studied. The effect of human semen on production of messenger RNA (mRNA) for the anti-inflammatory TH2-related cytokine, interleukin-10 (IL-10), the 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) and the pro-inflammatory TH1-related cytokine, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was examined. Co-incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 10 women with a non-cytotoxic 1:50 dilution of semen lead to induction of IL-10 mRNA. Semen from each of seven different men tested induced IL-10 mRNA in PBMC. IL-10 protein was also released into the culture supernatant after PBMC-semen co-culture. Similarly, semen induced transcription of the HSP70 gene in PBMC obtained from 10 women. In contrast, semen did not induce IFN-gamma mRNA in any of the female PBMC donors. Furthermore, semen markedly inhibited IFN-gamma mRNA production without affecting cell viability in PBMC that were cocultured with phytohaemagglutinin, a potent IFN-gamma-inducing T-cell mitogen. Thus, human semen is both an inducer of an anti-inflammatory (TH2) immune response and an inhibitor of pro-inflammatory (TH1) cell-mediated immunity.

publication date

  • November 1, 1998

Research

keywords

  • Cell Communication
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Interleukin-10
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear
  • Spermatozoa

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0031769547

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1093/molehr/4.11.1084

PubMed ID

  • 9835362

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 4

issue

  • 11