Increased number of IL-2, IL-2 receptor and IL-10 positive cells in premalignant lesions of the cervix.

Previous studies have shown the involvement of the immune re- sponse in the progression of human uterine cervix cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of Interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) and Interleukin 10 (IL-10) in different grades of cervical intra- epithelial neoplasias of the exocervix (CIN 1, 2 and 3), and its relationship with the serum cytokine profiles and human papilomavirus (HPV) infection status. Indirect immunofluorescence was used to study the expression of IL-2, IL-2R and IL-10 in human cervical samples from 50 patients and 9 normal controls. Serum IL-2, IL-2R and IL-10 were measured by ELISA and HPV DNA and HPV types were identified by PCR. Increased number of IL-2, IL-2R and IL-10 positive cells were observed in the cervix from patients with CIN, associ- ated with the grades of dysplasia. A significant correlation was observed be- tween IL-2 and IL-2R (p>0.0001), IL-2 and IL-10 (p > 0,0001), as well as IL-10 and IL-2R (p> 0.0001). Twenty percent of patients were HPV positive and 84 % of those patients were tissue cytokine positive. These results suggest that IL-2, IL-2R and IL-10 tissue expression may play a role in the develop- ment of cervical intraepithelial dysplasias.