Detection of activin A and follistatin as potential biomarkers in women with ovarian endometriosis

Makki NF, Nahlah F Makki, Kadhum SH, Sawsan H. Kadhum
The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology · 2026 · vol. 261 , pp. 107027 · doi:10.1016/j.jsbmb.2026.107027 · PMID:42035808 · W7155531263
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-13 ⓘ

This study found significantly elevated levels of activin A and follistatin in women with ovarian endometriosis compared to healthy controls.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a condition characterized by the growth of tissue similar to the uterine lining outside the uterus. This study aimed to evaluate certain sex hormones and determine the levels of activin A and follistatin in women with endometriosis. The study included 45 women with ovarian endometriosis and 45 healthy women as a control group. Hormone levels were measured using a VIDAS analyzer (bioMérieux, France), while activin A and follistatin levels were estimated using ELISA (BT LAB). The baseline characteristics (age, weight, BMI, WHR, WHtR, education, and residency) of the patients were comparable to those in controls (P > 0.05). Similarly, there was no difference in LH and prolactin levels (P > 0.05). Patients with endometriosis had significantly higher FSH (7.17 ± 1.76 vs. 5.99 ± 2.22, P = 0.010) and estradiol levels (136.67 ± 27.27 vs. 57.84 ± 15.16, P < 0.001), while progesterone (0.35 ± 0.11 vs. 0.44 ± 0.16, P = 0.045), testosterone [0.69 (0.45-0.82) vs. 0.81 (0.73-0.88), P = 0.001], and AMH [0.24 (0.15-0.36) vs. 4.08 (2.42-7.34), P = 0.001] were significantly lower. Activin A [11.24 (11.02-11.81) vs. 1.26 (1.02-2.11), P < 0.001] and follistatin [23.36 (19.53-46.86) vs. 12.40 (8.81-18.93), P < 0.001] were markedly elevated in patients compared to controls. The results for Activin A and Follistatin also showed a significant increase, indicating their potential use as promising biomarkers in the diagnosis of endometriosis.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins Activins

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 (29)

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