The state of systemic immunity under the influence of polarized light and an immunomodulator in patients with HPV-associated cervicitis

Background. According to current epidemiological studies, 94.9% of women suffering from sexually transmitted infections are diagnosed with the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA during the examination.

Aims. The aim of the study was to study the effect of combined exposure to blue monochromatic polarized incoherent light and polychromatic visible and infrared polarized light in combination with imihimod 5% cream for external use on the state of systemic immunity in patients with HPV-associated cervicitis.

Materials and methods. The study included 60 patients aged 20–35 years with an HPV-associated cervicitis with a history of at least 1 year, who were randomly divided into 3 groups: in the main group (n=20), course effects of blue monochromatic polarized incoherent light on the projection of the carotid arteries and polychromatic visible and infrared polarized light on the cervix in combination with imihimod 5% cream for external use (complex 1); in the comparison group (n=20) — exposure to polychromatic visible and infrared polarized light on the cervix in combination with imihimod cream for external use 5% (complex 2); in the control group (n=20) — a course of local exposure to the cervix with imihimod cream 5%. The data of the survey of 20 healthy women of the same age were taken as the values of the norm. The state of systemic immunity in patients with HPV-associated cervicitis before treatment and after the course was evaluated by the indicators of mature T-lymphocytes (CD3⁺), CD4⁺, CD8⁺, immunoregulatory index (IRI = CD4⁺/CD8⁺), CD16⁺ (natural killer cells) and CD20⁺ (B-mature lymphocytes) in peripheral blood.

Results. Before the start of treatment, the patients showed low levels of CD3⁺-lymphocytes and a decrease in the immunoregulatory index, which is the ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ against the background of an increase in the relative content of CD16⁺ and CD20⁺, which indicates an imbalance in the cellular immunity. After the course of treatment, the most pronounced results were obtained under the influence of complex 1: a significant increase in the relative content of CD3⁺ and normalization of IRI against the background of a decrease to the reference values of the initially elevated levels of CD16 (%) and CD20 (%) in both the percentage and absolute ratio of these populations in peripheral blood. Patients treated with complex 2 also showed a positive, but less pronounced, trend towards an increase in CD3⁺ and IRI and a decrease in elevated CD16⁺ levels after the course of treatment. In the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between the indicators before and after treatment, and only a slight positive trend was observed for some of them.

Conclusion. The combined use of blue monochromatic polarized incoherent light on the projection of the carotid arteries in combination with polychromatic visible and infrared polarized light and imihimod 5% cream for external use on the cervix in patients with chronic cervicitis associated with papillomavirus infection, to a greater extent than the local use of polarized light in combination with imihimod 5%, has a pronounced immunocorrective effect on the cellular link of immunity.