Effect of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate on interleukin-8 receptor during cervical ripening.

We investigated the effects of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHA-S) on the production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and expression of the interleukin-8 receptor (IL-8 R) in human cervical tissue. DHA-S increased the levels of IL-8 in cultured human cervical fibroblasts and in the supernatant in a time- and dose-dependent manner. DHA-S induced IL-8 and IL-8 R expression in human cervical fibroblasts and human pregnant cervical tissue at term in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, it induced the expression of IL-8 R in an explant culture of human cervical tissue and cultured human cervical fibroblasts in a time- and dose-dependent manner. However, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) only slightly induced the production of IL-8 and the expression of IL-8 R in the same cells and tissue. These results suggest that DHA-S up-regulates the autocrine system of IL-8 through the expression of IL-8 R.