Exploratory Study of Serum Lactoferrin and Anti-Lactoferrin Antibody Concentrations in Patients with Endometriosis

Regular Contribution Exploratory Study of Serum Lactoferrin and Anti-Lactoferrin Antibody Concentrations in Patients with Endometriosis 2023 Volume 259 Issue 2 Pages 135-142 Details Abstract Endometriosis is a disease that is characterized by the ectopic presence of the endometrium or its similar cells. A high prevalence of patients with autoimmune diseases has been reported among patients with endometriosis although the cause of endometriosis remained unknown. Recently, the anti-lactoferrin antibody is reported to be highly detected in autoimmune diseases. This study focused on lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibodies to explore the pathology of endometriosis. Lactoferrin is a substance that regulates inflammation and is produced by neutrophils. Anti-lactoferrin antibody is a type of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. The serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels were compared among patients with or without endometriosis, revealing significantly higher levels in patients with endometriosis. Additionally, a decreased serum anti-lactoferrin antibody level was observed after surgical endometriosis resection. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined the reference values for the serum lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody levels. Patients whose serum level exceeded the reference anti-lactoferrin antibody value were significantly higher in more than 40% of cases in the endometriosis group. The rate is comparable to that of autoimmune diseases. This is the first report that anti-lactoferrin antibody is frequently observed in patients with endometriosis, adding a new perspective to the understanding of the pathology of endometriosis although precisely elucidating the mechanism by which lactoferrin and anti-lactoferrin antibody appear in endometriosis in the future is necessary. © 2023 Tohoku University Medical Press This article is licensed under a Creative Commons [Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International] license. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0). Anyone may download, reuse, copy, reprint, or distribute the article without modifications or adaptations for non-profit purposes if they cite the original authors and source properly. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Favorites & Alerts Recently viewed articles - About this Journal The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine (TJEM) was founded in 1920 by professors of Tohoku Imperial University, Medical School. The TJEM has been published continuously, except for the year of 1946 just after the World War II. The TJEM is open to original articles in all branches of medical sciences. The TJEM also covers the fields of disaster-prevention science, including earthquake archeology. - Submitted manuscripts will be screened for plagiarism with Similarity Check (https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/). Announcements from publisher - Subscriptions Inland subscriptions should be sent to Tohoku University Medical Press, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575, JAPAN. Subscriptions from abroad should be addressed to MARUZEN CO., LTD., EXPORT DEPARTMENT, Postal address: P.O.Box 75, Shinagawa, Tokyo 140-8799, JAPAN. e-mail: [email protected]