Cytokine array analysis of peritoneal fluid between women with endometriosis of different stages and those without endometriosis

Zhen Hou, Liang Sun, Liying Gao, Lianming Liao, Yundong Mao, Jiayin Liu
Biomarkers : biochemical indicators of exposure, response, and susceptibility to chemicals · 2009 · vol. 14(8) , pp. 604–618 · doi:10.3109/13547500903183970 · PMID:20001709 · W2123114304
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This study used cytokine arrays to identify significant differences in peritoneal fluid cytokine expression between women with and without endometriosis, and between different stages of the disease.

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Abstract

Cytokines are key mediators of intercellular communication and are likely to promote the development and progression of endometriosis. Previous studies provided evidence that endometriosis develops as a result of the pathogenetic factors in the peritoneal environment, especially the peritoneal fluid (PF). We determined different cytokine expression in peritoneal fluid between women with minimal/mild and moderate/severe endometriosis and those without endometriosis using the cytokine array. As a result, 78 cytokines were found to have a threefold change, including 74 increases and four decreases in endometriosis compared with the control group; 96 cytokines had a threefold change including 91 increases and five decreases in minimal and mild endometriosis compared with the control group; 83 cytokines had a threefold change including 14 increases and 69 decreases in moderate and severe endometriosis compared with minimal and mild endometriosis. The cytokine networks were produced by Pathway Studio software and revealed that most cytokines are involved in cell binding, interaction and protein synthesis and transportation regulation. Among them activin A, Smad7 and beta-nerve growth factor are the most interesting as they may be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. These results suggest that cytokines are very important factors in the development of endometriosis. The findings of differentially expressed cytokines improves our knowledge of the pathogenesis and development of endometriosis and these findings warrant further studies to develop potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Ascitic Fluid Cytokines Endometriosis Activins Activins Adult Ascitic Fluid Cytokines Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Nerve Growth Factor Nerve Growth Factor Smad7 Protein Smad7 Protein

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 (47)

Cited by (24)

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