Chemokine growth-regulated-α: a possible role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis

Abstract

Endometriosis is a common disease in women at reproductive age. We investigated the concentration of neutrophil-activating factor (growth-regulated gene-α; GRO-α) (a member ofthe chemokine family), in peritoneal fluid of infertile women with or without endometriosis. Peritoneal fluid was obtained laparoscopically from 22 women with and 21 without visible endometriotic lesions.GRO-α concentration was measured by the use of an ELISA kit. Median concentration of GRO-α was 87.65 ± 56.19 pg/ml in the study group and 60.72 ± 11.98 pg/ml in thecontrol group. The distribution of data differed from normal, therefore logarithmic transformation of data was performed. Concentration of GRO-α was significantly higher in the peritoneal fluidof women with endometriosis when compared with controls (p = 0.05). No correlation between concentration of GRO-α, stage of endometriosis, duration of infertility or sex steroid hormonelevels was found. The study shows that GRO-α may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, possibly by chemoattraction and activation of neutrophils present in higher numbers in theperitoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. It is also feasible that the angiogenic properties of GRO-α might prompt the progression of endometriotic lesions.