Exploratory Study of Serum Lactoferrin and Anti-Lactoferrin Antibody Concentrations in Patients with Endometriosis

Kaya Mori-Yamanaka, Fuminori Kimura, Akiko Nakamura, Tetsuro Hanada, Jun Kitazawa, Aina Morimune, Shunichiro Tsuji, Takashi Murakami
The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine · 2022 · vol. 259(2) , pp. 135–142 · doi:10.1620/tjem.2022.j106 · W4310947464
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This study found significantly higher serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels in endometriosis patients, with antibody levels decreasing post-surgery, suggesting a potential role for these markers in endometriosis pathology.

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This exploratory study measured serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody concentrations in patients with endometriosis versus those without, aiming to understand potential autoimmune-related pathology. The authors reported significantly higher serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels in the endometriosis group, and they found that serum anti-lactoferrin antibody levels decreased after surgical endometriosis resection; receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to define reference values, with more than 40% of endometriosis patients exceeding the anti-lactoferrin reference threshold. A key limitation explicitly noted is the need for future work to precisely elucidate the mechanism underlying how lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibodies appear in endometriosis. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it specifically investigates serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibodies as potential contributors to endometriosis pathology.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a disease that is characterized by the ectopic presence of the endometrium or its similar cells. A high prevalence of patients with autoimmune diseases has been reported among patients with endometriosis although the cause of endometriosis remained unknown. Recently, the anti-lactoferrin antibody is reported to be highly detected in autoimmune diseases. This study focused on lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibodies to explore the pathology of endometriosis. Lactoferrin is a substance that regulates inflammation and is produced by neutrophils. Anti-lactoferrin antibody is a type of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. The serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels were compared among patients with or without endometriosis, revealing significantly higher levels in patients with endometriosis. Additionally, a decreased serum anti-lactoferrin antibody level was observed after surgical endometriosis resection. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined the reference values for the serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels. Patients whose serum level exceeded the reference anti-lactoferrin antibody value were significantly higher in more than 40% of cases in the endometriosis group. The rate is comparable to that of autoimmune diseases. This is the first report that anti-lactoferrin antibody is frequently observed in patients with endometriosis, adding a new perspective to the understanding of the pathology of endometriosis although precisely elucidating the mechanism by which lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody appear in endometriosis in the future is necessary.
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Regular Contribution Exploratory Study of Serum Lactoferrin and Anti-Lactoferrin Antibody Concentrations in Patients with Endometriosis 2023 Volume 259 Issue 2 Pages 135-142 Details Abstract Endometriosis is a disease that is characterized by the ectopic presence of the endometrium or its similar cells. A high prevalence of patients with autoimmune diseases has been reported among patients with endometriosis although the cause of endometriosis remained unknown. Recently, the anti-lactoferrin antibody is reported to be highly detected in autoimmune diseases. This study focused on lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibodies to explore the pathology of endometriosis. Lactoferrin is a substance that regulates inflammation and is produced by neutrophils. Anti-lactoferrin antibody is a type of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. The serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels were compared among patients with or without endometriosis, revealing significantly higher levels in patients with endometriosis. Additionally, a decreased serum anti-lactoferrin antibody level was observed after surgical endometriosis resection. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined the reference values for the serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels. Patients whose serum level exceeded the reference anti-lactoferrin antibody value were significantly higher in more than 40% of cases in the endometriosis group. The rate is comparable to that of autoimmune diseases. This is the first report that anti-lactoferrin antibody is frequently observed in patients with endometriosis, adding a new perspective to the understanding of the pathology of endometriosis although precisely elucidating the mechanism by which lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody appear in endometriosis in the future is necessary. © 2023 Tohoku University Medical Press This article is licensed under a Creative Commons [Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International] license. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0). Anyone may download, reuse, copy, reprint, or distribute the article without modifications or adaptations for non-profit purposes if they cite the original authors and source properly. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Favorites & Alerts Recently viewed articles - About this Journal The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine (TJEM) was founded in 1920 by professors of Tohoku Imperial University, Medical School. The TJEM has been published continuously, except for the year of 1946 just after the World War II. The TJEM is open to original articles in all branches of medical sciences. The TJEM also covers the fields of disaster-prevention science, including earthquake archeology. - Submitted manuscripts will be screened for plagiarism with Similarity Check (https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/). Announcements from publisher - Subscriptions Inland subscriptions should be sent to Tohoku University Medical Press, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, JAPAN. Subscriptions from abroad should be addressed to MARUZEN CO., LTD., EXPORT DEPARTMENT, Postal address: P.O.Box 75, Shinagawa, Tokyo 140-8799, JAPAN. e-mail: [email protected]

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