BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a gynaecological condition characterised by immune cell infiltration and distinct inflammatory signatures found in the peritoneal cavity. In this study, we aim to characterise the immune microenvironment in samples isolated from the peritoneal cavity in patients with endometriosis. METHODS We applied mass cytometry (CyTOF), a recently developed multiparameter single-cell technique, in order to characterise and quantify the immune cells found in peritoneal fluid and peripheral blood from endometriosis and control patients. RESULTS Our results demonstrate the presence of more than 40 different distinct immune cell types within the peritoneal cavity. This suggests that there is a complex and highly heterogeneous inflammatory microenvironment underpinning the pathology of endometriosis. Stratification by clinical disease stages reveals a dynamic spectrum of cell signatures suggesting that adaptations in the inflammatory system occur due to the severity of the disease. Notably, among the inflammatory microenvironment in peritoneal fluid (PF), the presence of CD69+ T cell subsets is increased in endometriosis when compared to control patient samples. On these CD69+ cells, the expression of markers associated with T cell function are reduced in PF samples compared to blood. Comparisons between CD69+ and CD69- populations reveal distinct phenotypes across peritoneal T cell lineages. Taken together, our results suggest that both the innate and the adaptive immune system play roles in endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a systematic characterisation of the specific immune environment in the peritoneal cavity and identifies cell immune signatures associated with endometriosis. Overall, our results provide novel insights into the specific cell phenotypes governing inflammation in patients with endometriosis. This prospective study offers a useful resource for understanding disease pathology and opportunities for identifying therapeutic targets.

中文翻译：

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质谱流式分析揭示了子宫内膜异位症腹腔液中独特的免疫环境：一项表征研究。


背景技术子宫内膜异位症是一种妇科疾病，其特征是免疫细胞浸润和腹膜腔中发现的独特炎症特征。在这项研究中，我们的目的是表征从子宫内膜异位症患者腹膜腔分离的样本中的免疫微环境。方法我们应用质谱流式细胞术（CyTOF）（一种最近开发的多参数单细胞技术）来表征和量化子宫内膜异位症患者和对照患者的腹膜液和外周血中发现的免疫细胞。结果 我们的结果表明腹膜腔内存在 40 多种不同的不同免疫细胞类型。这表明子宫内膜异位症的病理学有一个复杂且高度异质的炎症微环境。按临床疾病阶段进行分层揭示了细胞特征的动态谱，表明炎症系统的适应是由于疾病的严重程度而发生的。值得注意的是，在腹膜液 (PF) 的炎症微环境中，与对照患者样本相比，子宫内膜异位症中 CD69+ T 细胞亚群的存在增加。在这些 CD69+ 细胞上，与血液相比，PF 样本中与 T 细胞功能相关的标记物的表达有所减少。 CD69+ 和 CD69- 群体之间的比较揭示了腹膜 T 细胞谱系的不同表型。综上所述，我们的结果表明先天性免疫系统和适应性免疫系统在子宫内膜异位症中都发挥着作用。结论 这项研究提供了腹膜腔内特定免疫环境的系统特征，并鉴定了与子宫内膜异位症相关的细胞免疫特征。 总的来说，我们的结果为控制子宫内膜异位症患者炎症的特定细胞表型提供了新的见解。这项前瞻性研究为了解疾病病理学提供了有用的资源，并为确定治疗靶点提供了机会。