Increased level of TNF-α in serum and peritoneal fluid of endometriosis women-related infertility

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by abnormal endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, with a prevalence of 10% worldwide. TNF-α has been implicated in developing endometriosis; however, TNF-α is mainly unexplored in women with infertility cases. We aimed to evaluate serum and the peritoneal fluid level of TNF-α in endometriosis patients and correlate its level to the severity of endometriosis. Peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid samples were obtained from 87 infertility cases that underwent laparoscopy, consisting of 44 endometriosis women and 43 non-endometriosis women. We assessed serum and peritoneal fluid levels of TNF-α using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum and peritoneal fluid TNF-α levels were significantly increased in the endometriosis group compared to the control group (p-value = 0.0278; p-value = 0.0271). Serum and peritoneal TNF-α levels significantly differed between late-endometriosis and the control group (p-value = 0.026, p-value = 0.004). Our results show increased levels of TNF-α level in endometriosis women related to infertility cases that correlate with the severity of endometriosis.