Objetives: The goal of this study was to determine if systemic and peritoneal oxidative stress biomarkers are related to each other and to retrograde menstruation in endometriosis. Methods: Plasma and peritoneal fluid oxidative stress biomarkers and hemoglobin and erythrocytes in peritoneal fluid as retrograde menstruation indicators, were measured in 28 patients with endometriosis and 23 without endometriosis. Results: In the peritoneal fluid, carbonyls and lipohydroperoxides, indicative of protein and lipid oxidative damage, were higher in endometriosis group (21%, p = 0.016 and 46%, p = 0.009, respectively). However, these biomarkers were not different in the blood plasma of both groups, and only protein dityrosine, was increased in the plasma of endometriosis group (31%, p = 0.04). The peritoneal fluid hemoglobin content was not higher in the endometriosis group, nor related to carbonyls and lipohydroperoxides. Additionally, the peritoneal fluid oxidative biomarkers were not correlated with the blood plasma ones, and only malondialdehyde, and ischemia-modified albumin were almost two times higher in peritoneal fluid. Discussion: Our results show a peritoneal and systemic oxidative stress biomarkers increase in endometriosis, but not related to each other, and do not support the hypothesis of an increase in hemoglobin-iron supply towards the peritoneal cavity that causes oxidative damage.
Keywords: Oxidative damage; endometriosis; peritoneal fluid; retrograde menstruation.