Clinical significance of the CXCL6-CXCR1/CXCR2 chemokine signaling pathway in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis

Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity with an accompanying chronic inflammatory process. The etiology of the disease is still not fully understood. An important role is attributed to immune system disorders occurring within the peritoneal cavity with the participation of chemokines and their receptors. The aim of this study was to assess the CXCL6-CXCR-1/CXCR-2 signaling axis in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis. The analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the concentration of CXCL6, CXCR-1 and CXCR-2 in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis compared to the concentration in the control group (p < 0.001; p < 0.05; p < 0.01, respectively). In addition, statistically significant differences in CXCL6, CXCR1 and CXCR2 concentration were demonstrated between stages of disease. Changes in the concentrations of the chemokine CXCL6 and its receptors CXCR-1 and CXCR-2 in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis indicate a disturbed immune response in the peritoneal cavity in the course of endometriosis related to the stage of the disease. The CXCL6/CXCR-1/CXCR-2 system plays an important role in the development and progression of endometriosis, which may have significant clinical significance as a potential therapeutic target but requires further investigation.