[Ferritin levels in the peritoneal fluid--a new endometriosis marker?]

Accumulating data suggests that iron homeostasis in the peritoneal cavity may be disrupted by endometriosis. Increased iron metabolism induce proinflammatory and prooxidative environment in the peritoneal fluid (PF), thus may be involved in the pathogenesis of the endometriotic disease. Ferritin, a protein consisting of 24 subunits, may represent 25% of the total iron found in the organism. The aim of the study was to estimate the levels of ferritin in peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis.

Forty women were studied, including 15 patients with minimal/ mild endometriosis, 15 patients with moderate/ severe stage of the disease and 10 women without the disease. Ferritin concentrations were measured in the PF using a commercially available ELISA kit.

Ferritin levels were significantly higher in PF from both women with stages I/II (p=0.003) and III/IV (p=0.0007) endometriosis as compared to the reference group. No significant difference in the PF ferritin levels was found between women with stages I/II and stages III/IV endometriotic disease (p=0.98).

Increased ferritin levels, observed in peritoneal fluid, may reflect disrupted iron metabolism in the peritoneal cavity of endometriosis women.