Elevated ghrelin levels in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis: associations with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inflammatory cytokines

Dziunycz P, Piotr Dziunycz, Łukasz Milewski, Milewski Ł, Dariusz Radomski, Radomski D, Ewa Barcz, Paweł Kamiński, Kamiński P, Piotr I. Roszkowski, Roszkowski PI, Jacek Malejczyk
Fertility and sterility · 2008 · vol. 92(6) , pp. 1844–1849 · doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.09.002 · PMID:18976754 · W2062595691
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This study found that ghrelin levels are elevated in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis and are associated with increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and inflammatory cytokines.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study ghrelin concentrations in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis and of control women without pelvic pathology and its associations with the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: University research institution and hospital. PATIENT(S): Forty-six nonobese women with laparoscopically and histopathologically confirmed endometriosis and 20 control women without pelvic pathology. INTERVENTION(S): Peritoneal fluid was aspirated during routine diagnostic laparoscopic examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Concentrations of ghrelin and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1 beta, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF], and VEGF) in the peritoneal fluid were evaluated by specific enzyme immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively. RESULT(S): Ghrelin concentrations in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis were significantly increased as compared with control subjects. Peritoneal ghrelin levels in patients with endometriosis were strongly positively associated with VEGF (r(s) = 0.625). There was no correlation between ghrelin and IL-1 beta, IL-6, or TNF. CONCLUSION(S): The results of the present study show that endometriosis is associated with increased peritoneal ghrelin levels. The association between ghrelin and endometriotic lesion vascularization remains to be elucidated.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Ascitic Fluid Cytokines Endometriosis Ghrelin Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A Adult Adult Ascitic Fluid Ascitic Fluid Body Mass Index Body Mass Index Cytokines Cytokines Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Female Ghrelin Ghrelin

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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. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

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Cited by (29)

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