Increased ENA-78 in the follicular fluid of patients with endometriosis.
BACKGROUND
It is known that endometriosis is an inflammatory disease and those patients seem to have lower pregnancy rates. The aim of the study was to investigate the concentrations of chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines in the follicular fluid of patients with and without endometriosis.


METHODS
Follicular aspiration, recovering follicular fluid during assisted reproductive treatment, follicular fluid storage and analysis of chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines were carried out. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-15, leukemia inhibitory factor, epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide 78, regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted, and growth-regulated oncogene-alpha were analyzed in the follicular fluid and compared between women with (n =47) and without endometriosis (n = 279).


RESULTS
The above cytokines were detected in the follicular fluid samples. Epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide 78 levels were significantly higher in follicular fluid from endometriosis patients than from controls (p = 0.008). Increases (to twice the control level) were also observed for tumor necrosis factor-alpha and for interleukin-6.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased follicular fluid levels of epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide 78, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 indicate that these cytokines may influence oocyte quality and fecundability of women with endometriosis by deteriorating the microenvironment in the human follicle.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Berne, Switzerland. dorothea.wunder@insel.ch
Dorothea M
DM
Wunder
Michael D
MD
Mueller
Martin H
MH
Birkhäuser
Nick A
NA
Bersinger
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D054365:Chemokine CXCL5; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000032:analysis*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D015571:Follicular Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D009865:Oocytes; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000502:physiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; C486263:CXCL5 protein, human; D054365:Chemokine CXCL5; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha