THE PATTERN OF CYTOKINE MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION IN OVARIAN ENDOMETRIOMATA

Intraovarian cytokines play a pivotal role in the normal growth and de velopment of the ovarian follicle. The purpose of this study was to in vestigate the pattern of cytokine mRNA expression in ovarian endometri omata. A total of 10 patients with histologically confirmed endometrio mata undergoing surgery formed the study group while nine patients und ergoing sterilization with no evidence of a cyst in the ovary formed t he control group. Biopsies of the ovary were obtained at surgery and s tored in liquid nitrogen until processed by reverse transcription-poly merase chain reaction amplification to identify the presence of mRNA f or interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, tumour ne crosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). IL- 6 and IL-10 mRNA were expressed by nine and seven patients respectivel y in the endometriosis group compared with three and one patients in t he control group; this difference was significant (P <0.05). IL-1 alph a mRNA was expressed by seven of 10 patients with endometriosis but by only one of the control group; this was again significantly different (P <0.04). Ovarian IL-2 and IL-4 mRNA were not expressed in either gr oup. There was no significant difference in the expression of IL-8, IL -13, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNA in the two groups. These findings su ggest that abnormal local expression of certain cytokines may contribu te to the development of endometriomata.