[Measurements of interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 levels in peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of cytokines in peritoneal fluid on pathogenesis of endometriosis (EM). METHODS: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8(IL-8) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) contents in peritoneal fluid (PF) of 31 cases with EM were detected by enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) and compared with the counterparts of 22 cases without EM (controls). The correlation analyses between cytokine concentrations in peritoneal fluid of EM patients and the severity of EM or dysmenorrhea score were performed. RESULTS: The peritoneal fluid from patients with EM contained significantly greater amounts of IL-6 [(1.8 +/- 0.4) ng/L] and IL-8 [(1.7 +/- 0.5) ng/L] than those in controls [(1.2 +/- 0.2) ng/L and (1.4 +/- 0.3) ng/L respectively, P 0.05) between the two groups. The highest PF IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations were found in stage II, III and stag I, II EM respectively. A significant correlation between PF IL-6 content and the severity of disease was noted but there were no evidences of a relationship between concentrations of IL-8 and TGF-beta 1 and the severity of EM as well as between concentrations of three cytokines and dysmenorrhea score. CONCLUSION: Unusual levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in PF of EM patients partly account for imbalance of the immunologically dynamic environment in peritoneal cavity of EM patients.