Identification of local angiogenic and inflammatory markers in the menstrual blood of women with endometriosis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of myeloperoxidase (MPO), N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in peripheral and menstrual blood in women with (n = 10) and without (n = 7) endometriosis. NAG and MPO activities were evaluated by enzymatic methods, whereas TNF-α and VEGF by immunoassay. No significant differences were found for these markers, neither in menstrual nor in peripheral blood between groups. Menstrual blood NAG (P = 0.039) and MPO (P = 0.0117) activities in the endometriosis group were significantly higher than in peripheral blood. NAG and MPO presented positive linear correlation in peripheral (P = 0.07; r = 0.641) and menstrual blood (P = 0.01; r = 0.603). These findings point to the existence of an increased local inflammatory activity in women with endometriosis.