Cover
Vol. 15 No. 2 (2025)

Published: December 31, 2025

Pages: 97-117

Articles

Endometriosis-Linked Immune Dysregulation and Its Effect on Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes: Insights from IFN-γ and IL-13 Cytokine Profiles

Nidhal Hussein Ali Alsultan 1 Wasan Adnan AL-Jbory Huda Ali Hussaini 2
1High Institute of Infertility Diagnosis and Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq.
2Al-Nahrain University, College of Medicine, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Baghdad, Iraq.
History
  • Received: August 7, 2025
  • Accepted: November 30, 2025
  • Available Online: December 8, 2025
DOI

https://doi.org/10.28969/IJEIR.v15.i2.r7.25

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynecological disease and a leading cause of female infertility, characterized by Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance. Interleukin-13 (IL-13) and Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) are cytokines mediating anti-inflammatory and pro- inflammatory pathways, respectively, and were investigated in this study in infertile women with endometriosis undergoing Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).To explore the potential impact and prognostic value of Interleukin-13 (IL-13) and Interferon- gamma (IFN-gamma) on ICSI outcome and to confirm their role in endometriosis-related infertility .A prospective case-control study was conducted involving 80 infertile women aged 18-40 years, including (n=40) women laparoscopically confirmed with endometriosis and (n=40) infertile women without endometriosis serving as controls. Both groups enrolled in ICSI cycles, and on the day of oocyte retrieval, serum and follicular fluid were collected; then concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-13 were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Ovarian stimulation characteristics, oocyte maturity, embryo quality, maturation rate, fertilization rate, and pregnancy rate were compared between groups using appropriate statistical analyses to investigate their association with endometriosis and their impact on ICSI outcomes. Elevated IFN-γ and IL-13 levels in both serum and follicular fluid are strongly associated with impaired ovarian response and poor ICSI outcomes in women with endometriosis. These findings suggest that inflammatory cytokine imbalance contributes to reduced oocyte developmental competence and embryo quality. Assessment of IFN-γ and IL-13 may provide clinically valuable biomarkers for predicting ART outcomes and could facilitate individualized therapeutic strategies targeting immune-mediated reproductive dysfunction.

Keywords

References

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