Interleukin 1 beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in endometriotic tissue and in endometrium

Objective: To compare the levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF alpha in endom etriotic tissue and in endometrium from women with endometriosis and health y controls. Design: Open. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at a university hospital. Patient(s): Twenty-six women with endometriosis and 22 controls operated on for clinical indications. Intervention(s): ELISA in homogenized tissue samples collected during surge ry. Main Outcome Measure(s): Levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF alpha in tissue homogenates. Result(s): The three types of tissue differed significantly with respect to all three cytokines. Endometriotic tissue had significantly higher concent rations of IL Ip than endometrium from both patients with endometriosis and healthy controls. Both endometriotic tissue and endometrium from patients had significantly higher concentrations of IL-6, and endometriotic tissue h ad significantly lower concentration of TNF alpha than did endometrium from controls. IL-1 beta showed a cycle phase dependence that was significant i n endometrium from patients, being higher in the secretory than in the foll icular phase. IL-1 beta was significantly higher in endometrioma than in le sions of other localizations. Concentrations of IL-1 beta and IL-6 were pos itively correlated in endometriotic tissue and in endometrium from controls . No other significant correlations were found. Conclusion(s): This study has shown a significant production of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF alpha in endometriotic tissue and endometrium, with si,signif icant differences between the tissue types, indicating a deviating cytokine pattern in both endometriotic tissue and endometrium from women with endom etriosis compared with that from healthy controls.(C) 2001 by American Soci ety for Reproductive Medicine.