Distribution of Myeloid and Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood of Hyperprolactinemic Women

Dendritic cells (DCs) play key roles in regulating the immune response using the specialized function of processing and presenting antigens. Prolactin (PRL), a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, participates in DC maturation and function. The present study was aimed to determine the frequencies of peripheral blood DC subpopulations of myeloid DC (MDC) and plasmacytoid DC (PDC) in hyperprolactinemic (HPRL) women compared to normal healthy volunteers. This study was conducted on 70 women, including 35 HPRL patients and 35 matched healthy controls, whose PRL serum levels were in the normal range (lower than 25 ng/mL). Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured in both groups as an indicator of normal thyroid function. The electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method was applied to measure the serum levels of TSH and PRL. The frequencies of MDC and PDC in the peripheral blood samples of both groups were determined by flow cytometry. The mean serum PRL levels in the HPRL patients and healthy individuals were 46.41 +/- 21.96 and 13.75 +/- 11.19, respectively (p