Selected cytokines and glycodelin A levels in serum and peritoneal fluid in girls with endometriosis

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the role of serum and peritoneal interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and glycodelin A levels as diagnostic markers of endometriosis in adolescent girls.

Material and methods: The study encompassed 50 adolescent girls, aged 13-19 years, after menarche and with chronic pelvic pain who qualified for diagnostic laparoscopy. The patients were allocated into two groups: group I (endometriosis group) consisted of subjects with diagnosed endometriosis (n = 33, 66%) and group II (control group) included those whose laparoscopic examinations revealed no evidence of endometriosis (n = 17, 34%). IL-6, TNF-α and glycodelin A concentrations in serum and peritoneal samples were assessed using commercially available human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The value of P < 0.05 was adopted as the level of statistical significance.

Results: Compared with the control group, adolescent girls with endometriosis had significantly higher peritoneal fluid levels of: IL-6 (525.10 ± 1168.53 pg/mL vs 62.96 ± 82.35 pg/mL), TNF-α (5.79 ± 5.60 pg/mL vs 1.68 ± 1.24 pg/mL) and glycodelin A (94.24 ± 60.97 ng/mL vs 53.52 ± 41.43 ng/mL). Peritoneal IL-6, TNF-α and glycodelin A provided a good method of discrimination between subjects with endometriosis and controls. Using cut-off points for peritoneal fluid IL-6 (90.00 pg/mL), TNF-α (3.00 pg/mL) and glycodelin A (60.0 ng/mL), exceptionally high odds ratios (10.2; 14.6; 2.2) were obtained in the prediction of endometriosis in adolescents.

Conclusions: At the cut-off value of 3.00 pg/mL, peritoneal TNF-α can be a reliable screening marker for the prediction of endometriosis in adolescents, giving a 14.6-fold higher probability of endometriosis detection in girls with chronic pelvic pain.