Peripheral blood natural killer cell assay in infertile women.

We have developed a simple assay for the detection of peripheral blood natural killer cells (NK) metabolic activity based on tetrazolium reduction reaction after the cultivation of isolated NK cells with sperm cells. We have adapted a reliable, inexpensive and easy to prepare method in conjunction with the EZ4U system, while target NK cells' isolation was solved using Dynabeads immunomagnetic technology. The intended use of the introduced assay is the detection of pathological NK cells activity in immunological female infertility. The results of our pilot study showed differences in the metabolic activity of peripheral blood NK cells between fertile and infertile women. Additional analyses are necessary to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the introduced test in the immunological diagnostics of infertility.