Peritoneal fluid concentrations of β-chemokines in endometriosis

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether the levels of MCP-1, RANTES and MCP-3 in the peritoneal fluid correlate with endometriosis.

Study design: Patients with endometriosis were compared with controls.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Subjects: This study involved 95 women of reproductive age who were undergoing laparoscopy for evaluation of infertility or for pelvic pain. They were divided into an endometriosis group (n=54) and a control group (n=41).

Interventions: Peritoneal fluid samples were obtained and β-chemokines (MCP-1, RANTES and MCP-3) were measured using ELISA.

Statistical analysis: Mean and median values were used to present values. Due to the non-normality of chemokines, a log transformation was applied. Differences were examined using independent samples t-test. One-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD multiple comparison post hoc tests were applied. A significance level at 0.05 was set.

Results: The levels of MCP-1 are higher (p for log values=0.024) in the control group (mean=687.6, SD=467.7 pg/ml) than those of the endometriosis group (mean=570.4, SD=633.1 pg/ml). The same is true for the median values of MCP-1 (control median=568.5, endometriosis median=384.7 pg/ml). MCP-3 and RANTES do not differ significantly (MCP-3 p=0.787, RANTES p=0.153). The levels of MCP-1 in patients with stage II endometriosis are significantly lower in comparison with stage III (p=0.048) and stage IV (p=0.033) endometriosis.

Conclusions: A decrease in the concentrations of MCP-1 in stage I endometriosis has been observed, which is even larger in stage II, in contrast to stage III and stage IV endometriosis, which exhibit concentrations similar to the controls.