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).