Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 mRNA: A Promising Peripheral Blood Marker for Diagnosis of Endometriosis

Paola De Sanctis, Amira Elmakky, Antonio Farina, Elisabetta Caramelli, Renato Seracchioli, Mohamed Mabrouk, Giuseppe Mignemi, Stefano Venturoli, Gioia Villa, Manuela Guerrini, Linda Manuzzi, Giulia Montanari, Luisa Valvassori, Cinzia Zucchini
Gynecologic and obstetric investigation · 2010 · vol. 71(2) , pp. 118–123 · doi:10.1159/000320752 · PMID:21150162 · W2063425267
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 20 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This study found that matrix metalloproteinase-3 mRNA levels in peripheral blood are significantly elevated in patients with endometriosis compared to controls, suggesting it as a potential diagnostic biomarker.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endometriosis is an invasive disease. Its diagnosis depends on laparoscopy, which is traumatic and associated with potential complications. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid, reliable, and less invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis. We hypothesized that genes related to cell invasion would be transcriptionally upregulated in endometriosis, and tested whether blood levels of their transcripts might be used as biomarkers of endometriosis. METHODS: We used quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to quantify the mRNA levels of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and MMP-9 in peripheral blood from 20 patients with mild/intermediate endometriosis, 20 patients with severe endometriosis and 20 endometriosis-free subjects. RESULTS: Our results indicate that circulating mRNA for MMP-3 is significantly higher in patients with endometriosis than in control patients, regardless of the degree of severity. Conversely, the level of circulating mRNA for VEGFA and MMP-9 did not distinguish patients from controls. CONCLUSION: MMP-3 mRNA is a promising peripheral blood marker that discriminates between patients with endometriosis and healthy subjects. Our results support the possibility of finding genes suitable for diagnostic qRT-PCR for endometriosis in peripheral blood and should be explored further.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 RNA, Messenger Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A Adult Biomarkers Biomarkers Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction RNA, Messenger Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (38)

Cited by (20)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-20T06:14:18.781669+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:16:54.825375+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK