Differential expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in endometrial tissue of buffaloes with clinical and sub-clinical endometritis

The objective of this study was to investigate the endometrial expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1β, IL6, IL8 and TNFα) along with TLR4 and CD14 in normal and endometritic buffaloes. The genitalia were collected in the abattoir and divided into three groups as normal (gr. I = 12), clinical endometritis (CE, gr. II = 12) based on positive color reaction to white side test of uterine discharge and sub-clinical endometritis (SCE, gr. III = 12) based on endometrial cytology (presence of ⩾5% PMNs) and histopathology. The equal numbers of genitalia were grouped into follicular and luteal stage in each group. Endometrial tissue scrapings were used for total RNA extraction and cDNA was transcribed and amplified by Real time PCR. The results showed several fold higher expression of all cytokine transcripts in CE (gr. II), whereas significant up-regulation of CD14 (1 to 2-fold), IL6 (15 to 36-fold), IL8 (8 to 14-fold) and TNFα (10 to 11-fold) mRNA was observed in SCE. This indicates that the evaluation of expression patterns of certain cytokines gene holds promise to diagnose the severity and degree of uterine inflammation.