Relationship of IL-37 in the serum and peritoneal fluid to TNF-α and IFN-γ in endometriosis patients

Objective　To investigate the relationship of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) to interleukin-37 (IL-37) in the serum and peritoneal fluid, and investigate the pathogenesis of IL-37 in endometriosis (EMT) patients. Methods　Thirty-six EMT patients, admitted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from Jul, 2018 to Jan. 2019, and confirmed by laparoscopic operation and pathology, were selected as the EMT group, of which 13 cases were in stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and 23 cases in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ. The other 28 women with simple ovarian cyst, teratoma or hysteromyoma were selected as the control group. ELISA was performed to detect the levels of IL-37, TNF-α and IFN-γ in serum and abdominal fluid of the two groups. And then the levels of IL-37, TNF-α and IFN-γ were compared between the two groups and their relationship was analyzed. Results　The serum levels of IL-37 and TNF-α were significantly higher in EMT group than those in control group [(101.78±31.58) pg/ml vs. (63.50±14.48) pg/ml and (30.68±16.22) pg/ml vs. (18.09±1.27) pg/ml, respectively]. The levels of IL-37 and TNF-α in peritoneal fluid were significantly higher in EMT group than those in control group [(133.94±47.07) pg/ml vs. (68.43±12.60) pg/ml and (24.23±6.12) pg/ml vs. (16.63±3.13) pg/ml, respectively]. The levels of IFN-γ in serum and peritoneal fluid were significantly lower in EMT group than that in control group [(18.81±3.20) pg/ml vs. (20.52±1.38) pg/ml and (15.93±2.58) pg/ml vs. (20.32±7.03) pg/ml, respectively]. The differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion　The levels of IL-37 in serum and peritoneal fluid are increased significantly in EMT patients, implying that IL-37 may play a certain role in occurrence and progression of EMT by promoting secretion of TNF-α and inhibiting secretion of IFN-γ. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2020.03.13