Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 concentrations and expression of women with endometriosis undergoing IVF cycles

Abstract

To research the local action of endometriosis on follicular inflammatory microenvironment of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. A prospective case control study was organized at Kamal AL-Samarai IVF center (Baghdad/Iraq), January 2021 - May 2021. The study included (80) infertile women undergoing IVF cycles were split to two groups: Patients with endometriosis group (n = 40) and Patients without endometriosis group (n = 40). Follicular fluid (FF) and blood samples were gathered at the period of oocyte pick-up. Levels of MCP-1 mRNA were investigated with the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Concentrations of cytokines (monocyte chemo attractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-10 (IL-10)) were investigated in FF by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA expression of MCP-1 was significantly (P = 0.00) higher in patients with endometriosis group (1.95 ± 0.69) compared with patients without endometriosis group (0.40 ± 0.15). The studied cytokines concentrations in FF of women with endometriosis group were significantly (P = 0.00) higher than those without endometriosis group: MCP-1 (548.07 ± 199.43 pg/ml vs. 45.98 ± 18.72 pg/ml), TNF-α (912.15 ± 316.12 pg/ml vs. 261.89 ± 90.69 pg/ml), IL-10 (258.94 ± 68.82 pg/ml vs. 52.12 ± 14.46 pg/ml). The immune milieu of FF of patients with endometriosis is modified, which could explain the effect of endometriosis on infertility. Furthermore, elevated MCP-1 expression in endometriosis patients suggesting systemic inflammatory changes.