K. Koga et al., Increased concentrations of soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor (sTNFR) I and II in peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis, MOL HUM REP, 6(10), 2000, pp. 929-933
Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), a proapoptotic cytokine, is known
to be present in peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis. An emergi
ng view is that soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR) can modulate the effects of T
NF alpha by acting as TNF alpha antagonists. To assess the relevance of sTN
FRs in the pathophysiology of endometriosis, concentrations of sTNFR I, sTN
FR II and TNF alpha in peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis (n =
53) and without endometriosis (n = 40) were measured. Concentrations of bot
h sTNFR I and sTNFR II in peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis we
re significantly higher than in peritoneal fluid from women without endomet
riosis, both in the follicular and the luteal phases. TNF alpha concentrati
ons did not differ in patients with and without endometriosis in both phase
s. When stratified by the stage of the disease, women with both stages I/II
and stages III/IV exhibited significantly higher concentrations of sTNFR I
and sTNFR II in peritoneal fluid, compared with women without endometriosi
s, whereas no appreciable difference in the concentrations was detected bet
ween stages I/II and stages III/IV. A significant correlation was found bet
ween the concentrations of sTNFR I and sTNFR II; while the correlations bet
ween TNF alpha and sTNFR I or sTNFR II, were either not significant or were
very weak. Furthermore, mRNA for the membrane-associated TNF receptor type
1 and TNF receptor type 2, both of which convey the effects of TNF alpha,
were shown to be expressed in endometriotic tissues as well as eutopic endo
metrium. Together, these findings suggest a possible involvement of sTNFRs
in the pathophysiology of endometriosis.