Elevated ghrelin levels in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis: associations with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inflammatory cytokines.
OBJECTIVE
To study ghrelin concentrations in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis and of control women without pelvic pathology and its associations with the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).


METHODS
Case-control study.


METHODS
University research institution and hospital.


METHODS
Forty-six nonobese women with laparoscopically and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis and 20 control women without pelvic pathology.


METHODS
Peritoneal fluid was aspirated during routine diagnostic laparoscopic examination.


METHODS
Concentrations of ghrelin and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1 beta, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF], and VEGF) in the peritoneal fluid were evaluated by specific enzyme immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively.


RESULTS
Ghrelin concentrations in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis were significantly increased as compared with control subjects. Peritoneal ghrelin levels in patients with endometriosis were strongly positively associated with VEGF (r(s) = 0.625). There was no correlation between ghrelin and IL-1 beta, IL-6, or TNF.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present study show that endometriosis is associated with increased peritoneal ghrelin levels. The association between ghrelin and endometriotic lesion vascularization remains to be elucidated.
Dziunycz
Piotr
P
Department of Histology and Embryology, Center of Biostructure Research, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Milewski
Łukasz
Ł
Radomski
Dariusz
D
Barcz
Ewa
E
Kamiński
Paweł
P
Roszkowski
Piotr I
PI
Malejczyk
Jacek
J
D000328:Adult; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
D016207:Cytokines; D054439:Ghrelin; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A