Elevated ghrelin levels in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis: associations with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inflammatory cytokines
Received 2 June 2008; received in revised form 17 August 2008; accepted 2 September 2008. published online 31 October 2008.
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).
Design
Case-control study.
Setting
University research institution and hospital.
Patient(s)
Forty-six nonobese women with laparoscopically and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis and 20 control women without pelvic pathology.
Intervention(s)
Peritoneal fluid was aspirated during routine diagnostic laparoscopic examination.
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Concentrations of ghrelin and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF], and VEGF) in the peritoneal fluid were evaluated by specific enzyme immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively.
Result(s)
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 (rs = 0.625). There was no correlation between ghrelin and IL-1β, IL-6, or TNF.
Conclusion(s)
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.
aDepartment of Histology and Embryology, Center of Biostructure Research, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
bDivision of Nuclear and Medical Electronics, Technical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
cI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
dII Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Reprint requests: J. Malejczyk, Department of Histology and Embryology, Center of Biostructure Research, Warsaw Medical University, Chałubińskiego 5, PL-02004 Warsaw, Poland (FAX: 48-22-629-52-82).
P.D. has nothing to disclose. L.M. has nothing to disclose. D.R. has nothing to disclose. E.B. has nothing to disclose. P.K. has nothing to disclose. P.I.R. has nothing to disclose. J.M. has nothing to disclose.
This work was supported by grants from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (4T11E 007 25) and the Medical University of Warsaw (1M15/N/07).
ABSTRACT