Cytokine profiles in serum and peritoneal fluid from infertile women with and without endometriosis.
OBJECTIVE
To study the serum and peritoneal fluid cytokine profiles in infertile women with minimal/mild active endometriosis.


METHODS
Fifty-seven consecutive infertile women undergoing laparoscopy for unexplained infertility had peritoneal fluid and serum samples obtained at the time of laparoscopy. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), monocyte chemotatic protein-1 (MCP-1), RANTES, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), soluble Fas (sFas), and soluble Fas Ligand (sFasL) in peritoneal fluid and serum were measured to compare the concentration in both biological fluids, in women who have minimal/mild red endometriosis using women with no endometriosis as controls.


RESULTS
Peritoneal fluid levels of MCP-1, IL-8 and IL-6 were significantly higher in the endometriosis group (P < 0.012, P = 0.003, and P = 0.015, respectively). There was no significant difference in the peritoneal fluid levels of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, RANTES, VEGF, PDGF, sFas and sFasL in the two groups. Although serum levels of IL-8 were higher in women with endometriosis, the difference was not significant (P = 0.07). Serum levels of PDGF, IL-6, RANTES, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and sFas, were not significantly different in the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The elevated levels of MCP-1, IL-6, and IL-8 in peritoneal fluid but not serum may indicate the importance of local macrophage activating factors in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
Kalu
Emmanuel
E
Assisted Conception Unit, St Helier Hospital, Carshalton, Surrey, UK.
Sumar
Nazira
N
Giannopoulos
Theodoros
T
Patel
Pinika
P
Croucher
Carolyn
C
Sherriff
Elizabeth
E
Bansal
Amolak
A
D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007246:Infertility / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D016207:Cytokines