Results
| PMID | 14998974 |
| Gene Name | IL18 |
| Condition | Endometriosis |
| Association |
Associated |
| Population size | 54 |
| Population details | 54 (39 endometriosis patients, 15 control women) |
| Sex | Female |
| Associated genes | IL-18, COX-2 |
| Other associated phenotypes |
Endometriosis |
|
Hum Reprod. 2004 Mar;19(3):709-14. Epub 2004 Jan 29. Oku, H| Tsuji, Y| Kashiwamura, S-I| Adachi, S| Kubota, A| Okamura, H| Koyama, K Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences, Japan. BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a complex disease associated with a wide range of immune responses, including pain, adhesion, exudation of peritoneal fluid, elevation of cytokine levels and generation of autoantibodies. Interleukin (IL)-18 is a strong pleiotropic cytokine known to be involved in various immune diseases. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of IL-18 in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. METHODS: IL-18 and IL-1beta concentrations were measured in the peritoneal fluid and sera of 39 endometriosis patients and 15 control women. Expression of IL-18 and IL-18 receptor alpha-chain (IL-18Ralpha) was analysed in endometriotic tissues immunohistochemically. The effects of IL-18 on cyclooxygenase (COX)-II gene expression were analysed in peritoneal fluid monocytes and endometriotic cells of endometriosis patients. RESULTS: IL-18 concentrations in the peritoneal fluid of endometriosis patients averaged 592.57 +/- 108.27 pg/ml, significantly higher than 260.50 +/- 55.88 pg/ml in non-endometriotic samples. IL-18 concentrations in the serum did not differ significantly between endometriosis and control patients. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in IL-1beta concentrations in either the peritoneal fluid or the serum. IL-18 and IL-18Ralpha were expressed in endometriotic tissues. IL-18Ralpha expression was also observed in cells infiltrating into the inflammatory area of the endometriosis patients. COX-II was induced in peritoneal fluid monocytes and in endometriotic cells in response to IL-18 stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: The elevation of IL-18 in the peritoneal fluid of endometriosis patients and the induction of COX-II in peritoneal monocytes by IL-18 suggest that IL-18 plays a pathogenic role in endometriosis. Mesh Terms: Adult| Ascitic Fluid/chemistry| Cyclooxygenase 2| Endometriosis/blood/*etiology/metabolism/pathology| Enzyme Induction| Female| Humans| Immunohistochemistry| Interleukin-18/analysis/genetics/*metabolism/pharmacology| Interleukin-18 Receptor alpha |
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