Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor expression in endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Danqiu Liu, D.M. Liu, Minjie Liu, Pinling Yu, Hongfeng Li
Taiwanese journal of obstetrics & gynecology · 2023 · vol. 62(5) , pp. 634–639 · doi:10.1016/j.tjog.2023.07.003 · PMID:37678988 · W4386519661
review OA: diamond CC0 ⤵ 5 in-corpus citations
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 ⓘ

This systematic review and meta-analysis found significantly higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in endometrial tissue and serum of endometriosis patients, and increased nerve growth factor (NGF) in endometrial tissue, but further research is needed to confirm their biomarker utility.

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

Abstract

Endometriosis is diagnosed by laparoscopic surgery. The availability of biomarkers can help understand the pathophysiology and aid in the diagnosis of the condition. In this context, this review aimed to examine levels of expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) are increased amongst patients with endometriosis and if they can serve as a potential biomarker. PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for studies comparing BDNF or NGF levels amongst endometriosis patients and controls. Data were pooled for serum and tissue levels of BDNF and NGF. Ten fulfilled the inclusion criteria. On comparing BDNF levels, it was noted that endometrial tissue had significantly higher expression of BDNF levels as compared to controls (SMD: 1.73 95% CI: 0.64, 2.82 I2 = 89%). Similarly, the meta-analysis found significantly higher serum levels of BDNF in endometriosis patients as compared to controls (SMD: 1.66 95% CI: 0.73, 2.59 I2 = 95%). Pooled analysis showed significantly increased levels of NGF in endometrial tissue as compared to controls (SMD: 4.15 95% CI: 0.11, 8.18 I2 = 98%) but with unstable results on sensitivity analysis. Only one study showed higher levels of NGF in serum amongst endometriosis patients. Limited data shows higher expression of BDNF in endometrial lesions and increased serum levels of BDNF in endometriosis patients. Similar results were noted for NGF but with very scarce data. Further research is needed to establish BDNF and NGF as suitable biomarkers for the disease.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

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 (33)

Cited by (5)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-04T01:30:01.192114+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-22T00:33:39.669125+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK