ArticlePloS one2012
Searching for lower female genital tract soluble and cellular biomarkers: defining levels and predictors in a cohort of healthy Caucasian women.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
49 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Changes in concentrations of cervicovaginal immune mediators across the menstrual cycle: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Cervicovaginal Immune Activation in Zambian Women With Female Genital Schistosomiasis.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Trial
- Comparison of Follicular and Luteal Phase Mucosal Markers of HIV Susceptibility in Healthy Women.AIDS research and human retroviruses · 2016Trial
- The ring plus project: safety and acceptability of vaginal rings that protect women from unintended pregnancy.BMC public health · 2015Trial
- Bacterial vaginosis associates with dysfunctional T cells and altered soluble immune factors in the cervicovaginal tract.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2025Observational
- Refining Unfavorable Vaginal Microbial Community in Infertile Women Subjected to Precision Probiotic Intervention: An Exploratory Single-Arm, Prospective, Open-Label, Interventional Study.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- New insights toward personalized therapies for vulvovaginal candidiasis and vaginal co-infections.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Effect of progestin-based contraceptives on HIV-associated vaginal immune biomarkers and microbiome in adolescent girls.PloS one · 2024Article
- Possible Therapeutic Mechanisms and Future Perspectives of Vaginal Microbiota Transplantation.Microorganisms · 2023Review
- Immune activation of vaginal human Langerhans cells increases susceptibility to HIV-1 infection.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Altered Vaginal Microbiota Composition Correlates With Human Papillomavirus and Mucosal Immune Responses in Women With Symptomatic Cervical Ectopy.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Article
- Local Innate Markers and Vaginal Microbiota Composition Are Influenced by Hormonal Cycle Phases.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Semen: A modulator of female genital tract inflammation and a vector for HIV-1 transmission.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2021Review
- Recent Semen Exposure Impacts the Cytokine Response and Bacterial Vaginosis in Women.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Article
- Microbial mismanagement: how inadequate treatments for vaginal dysbiosis drive the HIV epidemic in women.Seminars in immunology · 2021Review
- Vaginal dryness in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a histopathological case-control study.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2020Article
- Evaluation of the inhibitory effects of vaginal microorganisms on sperm motilityExperimental and therapeutic medicine · 2020Article
- The Interaction Between Microorganisms, Metabolites, and Immune System in the Female Genital Tract Microenvironment.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2020Review
- Characterization of the Genital Mucosa Immune Profile to Distinguish Phases of the Menstrual Cycle: Implications for HIV Susceptibility.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHigh concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been previously observed in the genital fluids of women enrolled in microbicide trials and may explain observed increased HIV transmission in some of these trials. Although the longitudinal nature of these studies allows within-subject comparisons of post-product levels to baseline levels, the fact that the physiologic variations of these cytokines and other markers of immune activation are not fully defined in different populations, makes it difficult to assess changes that can be directly attributed to microbicide use as opposed to other biological and behavioural factors.
methodsCervicovaginal lavage samples were collected from 30 healthy Caucasian and assayed for concentrations of ten cytokines/chemokines, total protein content and two antimicrobial proteins using a multiplex immunoassay and ELISA. Cellular markers were characterized by flow cytometry on mononuclear cells collected from the endocervix using flocked swabs. Bacterial quantification was performed using quantitative PCR.
resultsEctopy, menstrual cycle phase, prostate-specific antigen and presence of leucocytes in endocervical cells' supernatant were associated with the concentrations of cyto-/chemokines in cervicovaginal secretions. Approximately 3% of endocervical cells collected were monocytes of which a median of 52% (SD = 17) expressed both CD4 and CCR5 markers. Approximately 1% of the total cells were T-cells with a median of 61% (SD = 10) CD4 and CCR5 expression. Around 5% of the monocytes and 16% of the T-cells expressed the immune activation marker HLA-DR. Higher percentages of T-cells were associated with greater quantities of IL-1RA, GM-CSF and elafin.
conclusionWe demonstrate the presence of selected soluble and cellular immune activation markers and identify their predictors in the female genital tract of healthy women. Future clinical trials should consider ectopy, sexual activity, menstrual cycle phase and presence of bacterial species as possible confounders when evaluating the possible inflammatory effects of microbicide compounds.
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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.