Expression of MMIF, HIF-1α and VEGF in Serum and Endometrial Tissues of Patients with Endometriosis

• Published in: Current medical science Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 499 - 504
• Main Authors: Zhang, Fan, Liu, Xiao-ling, Wang, Wan, Dong, Hong-ling, Xia, Yu-fang, Ruan, Li-ping, Liu, Li-ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wuhan Huazhong University of Science and Technology 01.06.2018; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wuhan 6th Hospital Affiliated to Jianghan University, Wuhan 430000, China%Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China
• Subjects: Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; endometriosis; diagnosis; hypoxia-inducible factor-1α; macrophage migration inhibitory factor; vascular endothelial growth factor
• DOI: 10.1007/s11596-018-1906-1
• ISSN: 2096-5230; 2523-899X; 1672-0733

Summary The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MMIF), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 a (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum and endometrial tissues of patients with endometriosis (EM) and the clinical significance. Eighty EM patients [American Reproductive Association stage I ( n =20), stage II ( n =22), stage III ( n =21) and stage IV ( n =17)] were enrolled and divided into mild (10-14 points, n =28), moderate (16-24 points, n =27) and severe (26-30 points, n =25) dysmenorrhea groups. The control group included 40 healthy women of childbearing age who underwent routine healthcare examinations in the enrolment period. The expression of MMIF, HIF-1α and VEGF in the serum and endometrial tissues was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting, respectively. Meanwhile, the sensitivity and specificity of serum MMIF, HIF-1α, and VEGF when separately used as single indexes or jointly used as one index were examined as well. The results showed that serum concentrations of MMIF, HIF-1α, and VEGF were significantly higher in EM patients than in controls ( P <0.05). The expression of all three proteins in both serum and endometrial tissues increased significantly with the R-AFS stage ( P <0.05) and with dysmenorrheal severity ( P <0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of the combined detection of serum MMIF, HIF-1α, and VEGF levels were significantly higher than those of single index detection ( P <0.05). In conclusion, the expression of MMIF, HIF-1α, and VEGF in the serum and endometrial tissues may be used to assess the stage of EM and the severity of dysmenorrhea. Combined evaluation of MMIF, HIF-1α, and VEGF significantly improves the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.