Endometriosis is a common disorder manifested by the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity; it is associated with infertility and pelvic pain (such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain). Diagnosis is based on the visualization of endometriotic lesions during surgery as no reliable serum marker is currently available. The etiology of endometriosis is largely unknown. Over the last 20 years, 2D-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry have been used to study the eutopic endometrium, the peritoneal fluid and the ectopic peritoneal lesions. These studies identified novel proteins aberrantly expressed in endometriosis that relate to immunological and inflammatory processes. Some proteins (such as one isoform of haptoglobin beta-chain) have increased expression in both peritoneal fluid and plasma of patients with endometriosis. Preliminary studies have shown that SELDI-TOF-MS may have the potential to be used for the clinical diagnosis of endometriosis. This review summarizes the state of the art and potential applications of proteomics in endometriosis research. While some molecules identified by proteomics technologies may have a relevant role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, the research of potential serum markers for this condition is still far from any clinical application. The new data generated using powerful proteomics technologies require critical analysis and verification.

Proteomics technologies in endometriosis.

FERRERO, SIMONE;REMORGIDA, VALENTINO;VENTURINI, PIER LUIGI;
2008-01-01

Abstract

Endometriosis is a common disorder manifested by the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity; it is associated with infertility and pelvic pain (such as dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and chronic pelvic pain). Diagnosis is based on the visualization of endometriotic lesions during surgery as no reliable serum marker is currently available. The etiology of endometriosis is largely unknown. Over the last 20 years, 2D-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry have been used to study the eutopic endometrium, the peritoneal fluid and the ectopic peritoneal lesions. These studies identified novel proteins aberrantly expressed in endometriosis that relate to immunological and inflammatory processes. Some proteins (such as one isoform of haptoglobin beta-chain) have increased expression in both peritoneal fluid and plasma of patients with endometriosis. Preliminary studies have shown that SELDI-TOF-MS may have the potential to be used for the clinical diagnosis of endometriosis. This review summarizes the state of the art and potential applications of proteomics in endometriosis research. While some molecules identified by proteomics technologies may have a relevant role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, the research of potential serum markers for this condition is still far from any clinical application. The new data generated using powerful proteomics technologies require critical analysis and verification.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11567/262638
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