Possible involvement of nerve growth factor in dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia associated with endometriosis

Kajitani T, Takashi Kajitani, Maruyama T, Tetsuo Maruyama, Asada H, Hironori Asada, Uchida H, Hiroshi Uchida, Hideyuki Oda, Oda H, Sayaka Uchida, Uchida S, Miyazaki K, K. Miyazaki, Kaoru Miyazaki, Arase T, Toru Arase, Masanori Ono, Yasunori Yoshimura, Yoshimura Y
Endocrine journal · 2013 · vol. 60(10) , pp. 1155–1164 · doi:10.1507/endocrj.ej13-0027 · PMID:23883529 · W2067749233
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This study found significantly higher nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA and protein levels in endometriosis tissue and peritoneal fluid associated with severe pelvic pain compared to controls.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-10 · read from full text ⓘ

This study investigated whether nerve growth factor (NGF) contributes to pelvic pain in endometriosis by measuring NGF mRNA and protein in tissue and NGF concentration in peritoneal fluid, alongside assessments of dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia. Samples from 95 women with laparoscopically and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis and 59 non-endometriosis controls were analyzed using real-time RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA, and pain severity was evaluated with a verbal rating scale. NGF mRNA and protein were more abundant in ovarian endometriomas and peritoneal endometriosis than in normal control endometrium, with NGF preferentially localized to glands, and peritoneal fluid NGF was elevated more often in endometriosis patients with severe pain. A limitation is that peritoneal fluid NGF was undetectable in some subjects, despite differences in pain severity, which constrains interpretation of NGF as a uniform biomarker. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it directly tests NGF expression and peritoneal fluid NGF levels in relation to dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia in endometriosis patients.

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Abstract

Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been recently proposed as one of the key factors responsible not only for promotion of nerve fiber growth but also for the onset and maintenance of pain in a variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of NGF in the pelvic pain associated with endometriosis. Tissue and peritoneal fluid samples were collected from 95 women with laparoscopically and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis and 59 control women without endometriosis. Expression levels of NGF mRNA and protein were examined using real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Concentration of NGF in the peritoneal fluid (PF-NGF) was measured using ELISA. The degree of dyspareunia and dysmenorrhea was evaluated using a verbal rating scale. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that NGF mRNA was significantly more abundant in the ovarian endometriomas and peritoneal endometriosis than in the normal control endometrium. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that NGF was prominently expressed and preferentially localized to the glands of the ovarian endometriomas and peritoneal endometriosis, whereas it was only weakly detectable in the normal endometrium. Although PF-NGF was undetectable in some normal subjects and endometriosis patients, elevated PF-NGF in the peritoneal fluid was more frequently observed in endometriosis patients with severe pain than in those with less severe pain. Our results suggest that NGF produced locally in the peritoneal cavity may be involved in the generation of endometriosis-associated pelvic pain.
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ORIGINALS Possible involvement of nerve growth factor in dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia associated with endometriosis 2013 Volume 60 Issue 10 Pages 1155-1164 Details Abstract Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been recently proposed as one of the key factors responsible not only for promotion of nerve fiber growth but also for the onset and maintenance of pain in a variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of NGF in the pelvic pain associated with endometriosis. Tissue and peritoneal fluid samples were collected from 95 women with laparoscopically and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis and 59 control women without endometriosis. Expression levels of NGF mRNA and protein were examined using real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Concentration of NGF in the peritoneal fluid (PF-NGF) was measured using ELISA. The degree of dyspareunia and dysmenorrhea was evaluated using a verbal rating scale. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that NGF mRNA was significantly more abundant in the ovarian endometriomas and peritoneal endometriosis than in the normal control endometrium. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that NGF was prominently expressed and preferentially localized to the glands of the ovarian endometriomas and peritoneal endometriosis, whereas it was only weakly detectable in the normal endometrium. Although PF-NGF was undetectable in some normal subjects and endometriosis patients, elevated PF-NGF in the peritoneal fluid was more frequently observed in endometriosis patients with severe pain than in those with less severe pain. Our results suggest that NGF produced locally in the peritoneal cavity may be involved in the generation of endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. © The Japan Endocrine Society Favorites & Alerts Recently viewed articles Predecessor

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Condition tags

dysmenorrheadyspareuniaendometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Dysmenorrhea Dyspareunia Endometriosis Nerve Growth Factor Pelvic Pain Adult Ascitic Fluid Ascitic Fluid Dysmenorrhea Dyspareunia Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Nerve Growth Factor Nerve Growth Factor Pelvic Pain Up-Regulation

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