Diagnostics
Cytokine Profiles in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: Associations with Lesion Severity and Exploratory Treatment Response
By Attila Louis Major, A. N. Riger, Nataliy Kharchenko and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) is the principal cause of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Cytokines regulate antiviral immunity and tissue remodeling, and cytokine profiling may provide additional information about the biology of cervical lesions.
Objective
To characterize cytokine profiles in cervical mucus and serum across grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
Methods
The study included 90 women aged 18–80 years: 30 HPV-negative women with negative cytology (Control) and 60 HPV-positive women with histologically confirmed low-grade (LSIL, n = 30; Gr-1) or high-grade (HSIL, n = 30; Gr-2) squamous intraepithelial lesions. Participants were also stratified by minor (grade 1) or major (grade 2) colposcopic findings. An exploratory subgroup of 15 women with HPV16/18-positive HSIL received antiviral and immunomodulatory therapy. Concentrations of 27 cytokines (pg/mL)—FGF, eotaxin, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1ra, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12(p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17A, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, PDGF-BB, RANTES, TNF-α, and VEGF—were measured in serum and cervical mucus using the Bio-Plex Pro Human Cytokine 27-plex assay (Bio-Rad, USA) on a Luminex 200 platform. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 23.0 and Microsoft Excel 365. Results are reported as medians and interquartile ranges [Q1–Q3]. A two-sided p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.