Immunohistochemical analysis of TNF-alpha and HSP-60 in women with tubal factor infertility associated with Chlamydia trachomatis.

To explore the roles of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and heat shock protein 60 (HSP-60) in women with tubal factor infertility (TFI) associated with Chlamydia trachomatis, and to determine the mechanisms of fallopian adhesions in Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections, the expressions of TNF-alpha and HSP-60 were quantitatively determined in 60 cases of TFI and 30 controls by immunohistochemical technique. The patients with TFI were further divided into group A and group B according to the CT-DNA of cervical specimens of PCR. The quantitative analysis was conducted by employing computerized image analysis system. It is found that the expressions of TNF-alpha and HSP-60 were much higher in TFI patients than those of controls. Among CT-HSP responders, a stronger expression was correlated with more severe salpingeal pathology. It is concluded that TNF-alpha and HSP-60 play very important roles in fallopian tube adhesion and occlusion in TFI due to CT infection.