Enhanced inflammatory activity of endometriotic lesions from the rectovaginal septum.
Endometriosis is characterised by the growth of ectopic lesions at multiple locations outside the uterine cavity and may be considered a collection of distinct but related conditions. The exact aetiology of endometriosis is still not clear although a role for inflammation is increasingly accepted. We therefore investigated the inflammatory activity of eutopic tissue and that of the matching ectopic lesions from different locations by measuring the genetic expression of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines. The gene expression in matching eutopic and ectopic tissue was compared, as was the gene expression in lesions from different locations. A significantly higher mRNA expression of the chemokines ENA-78 and RANTES and the cytokines IL-6 and TNF α was observed in endometriotic lesions of the rectovaginal septum (RVS) compared to that of matching eutopic tissue. Comparisons across lesion locations showed a significantly higher expression of IL-6 and TNF α in the RVS compared to lesions from either the ovaries or the peritoneum. These results show that the production of some inflammatory chemokines and cytokines is significantly increased in the ectopic endometrial tissue compared to matching eutopic tissue. Furthermore, IL-6 and TNF α are produced in significantly higher quantities in RVS lesions compared to other lesions.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, Berne University Hospital, 3010 Berne, Switzerland.
Dominic
D
Bertschi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, Berne University Hospital, 3010 Berne, Switzerland ; Department of Clinical Research, University of Berne, 3010 Berne, Switzerland.
Brett D
BD
McKinnon
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, Berne University Hospital, 3010 Berne, Switzerland.
Jakob
J
Evers
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, Berne University Hospital, 3010 Berne, Switzerland ; Department of Clinical Research, University of Berne, 3010 Berne, Switzerland.
Nick A
NA
Bersinger
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, Berne University Hospital, 3010 Berne, Switzerland.
Michael D
MD
Mueller
D000328:Adult; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000235:genetics; D054365:Chemokine CXCL5 / Q000235:genetics; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology*
C483024:CCL5 protein, human; C486263:CXCL5 protein, human; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D054365:Chemokine CXCL5; D015850:Interleukin-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha