Elevated angiogenin levels in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis correlate with the extent of the disorder

Objective: To assess the release of angiogenin into peritoneal fluid in women with and without endometriosis by measuring its concentration with reference to disease stage, presence of red lesions, and phase of the menstrual cycle. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Nagoya City University Hospital. Patient(s): Sixty-four women with endometriosis (n = 38) and cystadenomas (n = 26) for whom surgery was scheduled in the proliferative or secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. Intervention(s): Peritoneal fluid samples were obtained at laparotomy or laparoscopy. Main Outcome Measure(s): Angiogenin concentrations in the peritoneal fluid, as measured by ELISA. Result(s): Angiogenin concentration in the peritoneal fluid was markedly elevated in the endometriosis patients (median 515 ng/mL, interquartile range 151-1763 ng/mL) compared with the cystadenoma (control) patients (195 ng/mL, 98-324 ng/mL), with values correlating with the extent of the disease. No significant differences between the proliferative phase and the secretory phase were observed in either the controls or the endometriosis patients. Conclusion(s): The inflammation associated with endometriosis, through increasing levels of peritoneal fluid angiogenin, might promote angiogenesis for progression of the disease and correlate with the extent of the disorder. (C) 2004 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.