Increased asymmetric dimethylarginine and enhanced inflammation are associated with impaired vascular reactivity in women with endometriosis

Kinugasa S, Shoko Kinugasa, Koichi Shinohara, Shinohara K, Akihiko Wakatsuki, Wakatsuki A
Atherosclerosis · 2011 · vol. 219(2) , pp. 784–788 · doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2011.08.005 · PMID:21880316 · W2029623539
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This study found that elevated asymmetric dimethylarginine and increased inflammation correlate with reduced vascular reactivity in women diagnosed with endometriosis.

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Abstract

ObjectiveEnhanced inflammatory responses which may inhibit vascular reactivity, are associated with endometriosis development. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an inhibitor of endogenous nitric oxide synthase, is also implicated in endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to determine whether plasma ADMA and systemic inflammation are associated with endothelial function in women with endometriosis.MethodsWe evaluated 41 women with and 28 women without endometriosis. Plasma levels of lipids and inflammatory markers such as high sensitive-C reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum amyloid protein A (SAA), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in the two groups. We also measured levels of ADMA and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA). High-resolution ultrasonography measured flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) to assess vasodilatory responses.ResultsFMD was significantly lower in women with endometriosis compared to those without endometriosis (8.39 ± 0.43% vs 10.79 ± 0.54%, P = 0.001). While plasma lipid levels did not differ significantly between groups, levels of AMDA, but not SDMA, were significantly higher in women with endometriosis (409.7 ± 10.1 pmol/L vs 383.0 ± 48.3 pmol/L, P = 0.04). Inflammatory markers were also significantly higher in these women (hs-CRP: 1053.3 ± 252.0 ng/mL vs 272.0 ± 83.3 ng/mL, P = 0.02; SAA: 8.00 ± 1.53 μg/mL vs 3.82 ± 0.42 μg/mL, P = 0.04; IL-6: 2.73 ± 0.75 pg/mL vs 1.05 ± 0.60 pg/mL, P = 0.04). FMD was negatively correlated with plasma levels of ADMA (r = -0.37, P=0.01) and log hs-CRP (r = -0.34, P = 0.01).ConclusionIncreased plasma ADMA levels and enhanced inflammation are associated with inhibited endothelial function in women with endometriosis.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Arginine Brachial Artery Endometriosis Endometriosis Inflammation Mediators Vasodilation Adult Arginine Arginine Biomarkers Biomarkers Brachial Artery Brachial Artery Brachial Artery Brachial Artery Case-Control Studies C-Reactive Protein C-Reactive Protein Endometriosis Endometriosis

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.

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