Interleukin-2 production by cultured human granulosa cells.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether cultured human granulosa cells (GC) produce Interleukin (IL)-2 and whether this GC IL-2 production may be regulated by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Human GC derived from preovulatory follicles during in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles were cultured in the absence or presence of hCG. Interleukin-2 was measured in tissue-culture medium by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system.

RESULTS

Cultured GCs were demonstrated to produce IL-2 in vitro. Moreover, a positive, but not statistically significant, dose-response effect was demonstrated between culture supernatant IL-2 levels and hCG concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate that human GC produce IL-2 and that this production might be regulated by hCG. These results lend credence to the theory that IL-2 might be involved in the events leading to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).