Constitutive or induced elevated levels of L-carnitine correlate with the cytokine and cellular profile of endometriosis.
During the past decade, accumulated evidence indicates an association between endometriosis and an alteration of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. While the role of L-carnitine in the regulation of energy metabolism is well established, it is only recently that L-carnitine has been recognized to modify the immune response in mice after in vitro or in vivo treatment. The present study has examined whether administration of L-carnitine to young female mice alters the percentage of immune cells in peritoneal exudates and the uterus as well as the levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, VEGF, GM-CSF and IGF-I in blood serum, peritoneal fluid and supernatants of uterine cultured cells as tested by immunofluorescence or ELISA techniques, respectively, leading to a pathological disorder resembling human endometriosis. The results showed that, except from infertility, L-carnitine treatment resulted in a significant increase of macrophages and to a lesser degree an increase of T-cells, while elevated levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha were detected in both serum and peritoneal fluid compared to controls. Although levels of L-carnitine measured in mouse serum samples using a radioisotopic method showed an increase as compared to controls, levels of acyl-L-carnitine measured in the murine peritoneal fluid samples showed a decrease similar to that measured in peritoneal fluid samples from patients with endometriosis in stage IV of the disease. These results indicate that L-carnitine administration to female mice alters the cellular and growth factor profile in the uterus and peritoneum towards a phenotypical pathology similar to that of clinical endometriosis.
Dionyssopoulou
E
E
Department of Biology, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, Heraklion 714-09, Crete, Greece.
Vassiliadis
S
S
Evangeliou
A
A
Koumantakis
E E
EE
Athanassakis
I
I
D000818:Animals; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002331:Carnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D016207:Cytokines; D002331:Carnitine