SERUM CONCENTRATION OF ENDOGENOUS G-CSF IN WOMEN DURING THE MENSTRUAL-CYCLE AND PREGNANCY

Although granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is commonly use d in the held of supportive therapy for cancer treatment, the serum co ncentration of endogenous G-CSF in healthy women is still obscure due to the low sensitivity (30 pg mL(-1)) of the usual enzyme immunoassay. With the development of a highly sensitive (1.0 pg mL(-1)) chemilumin escent immunoassay by Kiriyama et al., we have clarified the changes o f serum G-CSF levels in healthy women during the menstrual cycle and p regnancy. The G-CSF concentration showed a peak value of 27.3 +/- 2.5 pg mL(-1) (mean +/- SEM) at the ovulatory phase during the menstrual c ycle, which is significantly higher than in all other phases (P < 0.00 01, unpaired t-test). A significantly higher value compared to the men strual cycle, except during the ovulatory phase, was also revealed thr oughout pregnancy (P < 0.0001, unpaired t-test). These results suggest that G-CSF plays an important role in ovulation and the maintenance o f pregnancy.