Human papillomavirus (HPV) infects the transformation zone of the cervix and is the primary cause of
cervical cancer. The
infection is localized to the cervix and mucosal immunity is likely to be an important determinant for viral clearance. Previous studies of immunity to HPV have measured
immune markers in the blood, but the relationship of systemic immunity to cervical immunity is poorly understood. In this study of 70 women enrolled in the
ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS), a clinical trial for management of low-grade cytologic abnormalities of the cervix, we collected paired plasma and cervical secretions to investigate the relationship between cervical concentrations of
interleukin-10 (IL-10) and
interleukin-12 (IL-12) and plasma levels. Neither
IL-10 (p = 0.11), or
IL-12 (p = -0.04) nor the ratio of
IL-12 to
IL-10 (p = 0.06) were correlated between blood and cervical secretions. Except for weak correlations of
IL-10 among nonsmokers (p = 0.35. P = 0.019) and those in day 18-27 of their menstrual cycle (p = 0.51, P = 0.015), this lack of correlation persisted in all subgroups defined by genital
inflammation or
infection, current
oral contraceptive use,
heme contamination and volume of collected secretions, HPV16 seropositivity, and repeat
HPV infection and/or cytologic abnormalities. The lack of correlation and high concentrations in cervical secretions indicate that the cervical
IL-10 and
IL-12 concentrations exceed what could be expected from blood as a principle source of
IL-10 and
IL-12 and suggest that
cytokine concentrations in cervical secretions are predominantly the result of local
cytokine production.