Altered expression of interleukin-18 in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis.
OBJECTIVE
Peritoneal fluid (PF) inflammatory factors may participate in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate PF interleukin (IL)-18 levels in women with and without endometriosis.


METHODS
Controlled clinical study.


METHODS
Women undergoing laparoscopy at a university hospital.


METHODS
Fifty women with previously untreated endometriosis, 8 women on GnRH agonists for endometriosis, and 18 control women with normal pelvic anatomy who were undergoing tubal ligation.


METHODS
Peritoneal fluid IL-18 levels as measured by ELISA.


METHODS
Peritoneal fluid IL-18 levels.


RESULTS
Peritoneal fluid IL-18 levels were significantly higher in women with previously untreated endometriosis (mean +/- SEM, 91.1 +/- 6.5 pg/mL) than in control women (59.4 +/- 2.0 pg/mL). Interestingly, women with superficial (100.0 +/- 10.2 pg/mL) and deep peritoneal implants (94.0 +/- 10.8 pg/mL) had significantly higher PF IL-18 levels than did women with endometriomas (57.8 +/- 1.8 pg/mL). Similarly, women with stage I-II endometriosis (97.3 +/- 8.0 pg/mL), but not women with stage III-IV endometriosis (74.9 +/- 9.9 pg/mL), had significantly higher PF IL-18 levels than did control women. Peritoneal fluid IL-18 levels were significantly higher in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase but did not discriminate between women with pelvic pain or infertility.


CONCLUSIONS
Peritoneal fluid IL-18 is elevated in women with peritoneal, minimal- to mild-stage endometriosis.
Arici
Aydin
A
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8063, USA. aydin.arici@yale.edu
Matalliotakis
Ioannis
I
Goumenou
Anastasia
A
Koumantakis
Georgios
G
Vassiliadis
Simon
S
Mahutte
Neal G
NG
D000328:Adult; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D020382:Interleukin-18