LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOSIS IN NORMAL MENSTRUATING FEMALES

The term apoptosis can be defined as a morphologically distinctive form of cell death which was associated with normal physiology. The apoptotic cell exhibit a number of distinctive morphological and biochemical changes including membrane bleb formation followed by condensation of cytoplasm and nuclear chromatin condensation into uniformly dense masses near the nuclear envelope with DNA fragmentation. Finally,the
cell breaks apart into apoptotic bodies which are surrounded by cell membrane, these are engulfed by neighbouring phagocytes without inciting an inflammatory response. Apoptotic process plays an important role in the regulation and maintenance of the cell populations in tissues upon physiological and pathological conditions. In adults it participate in the cyclic breakdown of the endometrium that leads to menstruation and in the regulation of endometrial cellular homeostasis. Apoptosis has been found to occur in three different ovarian cell types: oocytes, granulosa cells and luteal cells, as it participate in follicle atresia and corpus luteum regression during normal menstrual cycle. The aim in this study is to evaluate peripheral blood lymphocyte apoptosis in healthy menstruating females with regular cycle and to assess the hormonal status during normal menstrual cycle in relation to lymphocyte apoptosis. This study involved 50 healthy menstruating females with regular cycles; 7 ml of blood were aspirated from the antecubital vein under strict sterilization,
blood samples were aspirated during ovulation and the first day of the menstrual cycle.