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. 2019 Mar:84:26-31.
doi: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2018.12.006. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Elevated serum chemokines are independently associated with both endometriosis and uranium exposure

Alexis D Greene  1 , Jessica A Kendziorski  2 , Jeanette M Buckholz  3 , Liang Niu  4 , Changchun Xie  4 , Susan M Pinney  3 , Katherine A Burns  5
Affiliations

Elevated serum chemokines are independently associated with both endometriosis and uranium exposure

Alexis D Greene et al. Reprod Toxicol. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Endometriosis is a complex disease impacted by the hormonal and immune systems. Cytokines and chemokines are serum biomarkers that maybe useful to develop a noninvasive disease diagnosis. Individuals in the Fernald Community Cohort were exposed to uranium, a heavy metal with radioactive properties and estrogenic potential; therefore, serum samples from women in this cohort with or without uranium and with or without endometriosis were compared for alterations in chemokine, cytokine, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels. Control women were matched to endometriosis cases by uranium exposure, age, and body mass index. MMP levels were not altered. Five chemokines and one cytokine significantly increased in endometriosis cases versus controls irrespective of uranium exposure. Uranium exposure alone was associated with an increase in inflammatory chemokines. The majority of the elevated chemokines in endometriosis cases play important roles in attracting T helper-2 cells, which may be vital to understanding the immune response in endometriosis.

Keywords: Chemokine; Cytokine; Endometriosis; Uranium.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

There are no conflicts of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Serum chemokines are increased in serum of patients with endometriosis. CCL1, CCL11, CCL22, CXCL9, CXCL13, and IL10 are significantly increased in serum of women with endometriosis compared to control women. Dotted line shows 0. The + sign denotes mean for each chemokine. The median is shown as the horizontal black line in each box. Endometriosis women were case controlled. p < 0.05, paired t-tests between endometriosis cases and controls.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Uranium Effect on Chemokine Levels in Control Women. Increased uranium exposure is associated with decreased levels of CXCL11 and CXCL16, and increased levels of CCL7, CXCL6, IFNγ, IL1β, and MCP1/CCL2 in control women. p < 0.05, linear regression.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Uranium Effect on Chemokine Levels in Endometriosis Women. Increased uranium exposure is associated with decreased levels of CXCL2 in women with endometriosis. p < 0.05, linear regression.
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