Original Article A Novel Endometriosis Inducing Factor In Women with Endometriosis

Aim: To confirm the hypothesis of the presence of a possible endometriosis inducing factor(s) (EIF) in the blood of women with endometriosis. Patients and Methods: Forty infertile women were studied. The study group compromised of fifteen women of each three different degrees of endometriosis and fifteen women without endometriosis as a control group. Stem cells are characterized by being spindle shaped and proliferate in appropriate culture indefinitely. The women sera were co-cultured with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which were followed up weekly to look for morphological changes and to detect Annexin 1 marker and ß-actin gene by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: MSCs cultured with sera of cases with, mild, moderate and severe endometriosis, showed morphological changes to be columnar and cuboidal shaped cells-resembling endometrial cells and glands- by the 4th week in 60%, 60 % & 100 % respectively. These cells were detected from as early as the first week in women with moderate and severe types (20 % for each group). The percentage of the change into