Elevated vascular endothelia growth factor-A in the serum and peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis

Abstract

There has been emergence of evidence suggesting that specific variants of the vascular endothelia growth factor (VEGF) family, based on their ability to regulate angiogenesis, would be pivotal in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. This study was aimed at determining whether high levels of VEGF-A could be found in the serum and peritoneal fluid (PF) of patients with endometriosis. VEGF-A levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum and PF from 46 patients with surgically confirmed endometriosis, and 40 controls with no clinical evidence of the disease or detectable endometriotic lesions at the time of surgical examination. The results showed the mean VEGF-A levels were significantly higher in the serum and PF of patients with endometriosis than in the controls. The VEGF-A levels in the serum and PF of patients with severe endometriosis (stages III-IV) were significantly higher than in those with minimal endometriosis (P<0.001). It was concluded that endometriosis was associated with significant modulation in the levels of circulating VEGF-A.