CD200 and CD200R Expression on Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes and Serum CD200 Concentration as a New Marker of Endometriosis

• Main Authors: Monika Abramiuk, Ewelina Grywalska, Izabela Korona-Głowniak, Paulina Niedźwiedzka-Rystwej, Grzegorz Polak, Jan Kotarski, Jacek Roliński
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: endometriosis; CD200; CD200R; negative co-stimulation; non-invasive markers
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/9/9/3035

The causes of endometriosis (EMS) remain unknown; however, a number of immunological abnormalities contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. The cluster of differentiation-200 (CD200) and its receptor (CD200R) maintain peripheral self-tolerance by negatively regulating immune responses. In this comparative cross-sectional study, we investigated the expression of CD200 and CD200R on T and B lymphocytes and the serum level of soluble CD200 (sCD200) using flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 54 female patients and 20 healthy, age-matched controls. Results were tested for correlation with disease severity and selected clinical parameters. We demonstrated that the differences in sCD200 levels (<i>p</i> = 0.001), the frequencies of CD200-positive T and B lymphocytes (<i>p</i><i> </i>< 0.001 and <i>p</i><i> </i>= 0.004, respectively), and the frequencies of CD200R-positive T and B lymphocytes (<i>p</i><i> </i>< 0.001 for all comparisons) in the study group correlated positively with disease severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that aberrant expression of CD200/CD200R might serve as a marker to distinguish between EMS cases. Finally, negative co-stimulatory factors may contribute to the induction and persistence of inflammation associated with EMS. It seems that it is essential to determine whether alteration in the CD200/CD200R pathway can be therapeutically targeted in EMS.