ArticleAmerican journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)2010
Sex hormone regulation of innate immunity in the female reproductive tract: the role of epithelial cells in balancing reproductive potential with protection against sexually transmitted pathogens.
Article in American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989), 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
113 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 232 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hormonal contraception is associated with a reduced risk of bacterial vaginosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2013Pooled it
- Impact of the menstrual cycle and ethinyl estradiol/etonogestrel contraceptive vaginal ring on granulysin and other mucosal immune mediators.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2021Trial
- Combined oral contraceptive pill-exposure alone does not reduce the risk of bacterial vaginosis recurrence in a pilot randomised controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2019Trial
- Phenotype and susceptibility to HIV infection of CD4+ Th17 cells in the human female reproductive tract.Mucosal immunology · 2014Trial
- CXCL10 contributes to female-specific pathological progression in tauopathy model mice.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Article
- Harnessing mucosal immunity for protective vaccines.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2026Review
- Innate Immunity and Microbial Recognition in Reproduction: From Barrier Defense to Maternal-Fetal Tolerance.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Review
- Contribution of endometrial microbiome to inflammation-mediated infertility in women undergoing ART.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Female Reproductive Tract Organ-on-Chips: Modeling Barrier Function and Drug Transport.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- Review
- Exploring Gene Expression Changes in Murine Female Genital Tract Tissues Following Single and Co-Infection withPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Dysregulated proliferation and immune response induced by estrogen in Egr1 knockout uterus are similar to those in immature uterus.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- The emerging role of tissue regulatory T cells in tissue repair and regeneration.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Article
- Innate Immune Mechanisms in Normal and Adverse Pregnancy.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- Changes in interleukin-2, -4, -6 and -8 expression in the postovulatory sow endometrium after artificial insemination based on conceived or failed to conceive.The Journal of reproduction and development · 2024Article
- Progesterone Hypersensitivity in Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Implications for Safety and Efficacy.Journal of personalized medicine · 2024Review
- Deciphering the role of female reproductive tract microbiome in reproductive health: a review.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Review
- Impact of aging on the frequency, phenotype, and function of CD4+ T cells in the human female reproductive tract.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- The Evolving Landscape of Immunotherapy in Uterine Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The immune system in the female reproductive tract (FRT) does not mount an attack against HIV or other sexually transmitted infections (STI) with a single endogenously produced microbicide or with a single arm of the immune system. Instead, the body deploys dozens of innate antimicrobials to the secretions of the female reproductive tract. Working together, these antimicrobials along with mucosal antibodies attack many different viral, bacterial and fungal targets. Within the FRT, the unique challenges of protection against sexually transmitted pathogens coupled with the need to sustain the development of an allogeneic fetus have evolved in such a way that sex hormones precisely regulate immune function to accomplish both tasks. The studies presented in this review demonstrate that estradiol and progesterone secreted during the menstrual cycle act both directly and indirectly on epithelial cells and other immune cells in the reproductive tract to modify immune function in a way that is unique to specific sites throughout the FRT. As presented in this review, studies from our laboratory and others demonstrate that the innate immune response is under hormonal control, varies with the stage of the menstrual cycle, and as such is suppressed at mid-cycle to optimize conditions for successful fertilization and pregnancy. In doing so, a window of STI vulnerability is created during which potential pathogens including HIV enter the reproductive tract to infect host targets.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.