Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A isoforms is dysregulated in women with endometriosis
Kevin Danastas A C , Emily J. Miller B , Alison J. Hey-Cunningham B , Christopher R. Murphy A and Laura A. Lindsay A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Discipline of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, F13 Anderson Stuart Building, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
B Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, K25 Medical Foundation Building, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: kdan6497@uni.sydney.edu.au
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 30(4) 651-657 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD17184
Submitted: 16 May 2017 Accepted: 12 September 2017 Published: 11 October 2017
Abstract
Angiogenesis is a critical step in the development of ectopic lesions during endometriosis. Although total vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A is elevated in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis, there are contradictory reports on how levels of total endometrial VEGFA are altered in this disease. Furthermore, limited research is available on different VEGFA isoforms in women with endometriosis. Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyse levels of various VEGFA isoforms in women with and without endometriosis at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that total VEGFA was highest during menstruation in endometriosis compared with controls (P = 0.0373). VEGF121 and VEGF189 were similarly highest during menstruation in endometriosis compared with controls (P = 0.0165 and 0.0154 respectively). The present study is also the first to identify the natural expression of VEGF111 in human tissue, which is also highest during menstruation in endometriosis (P = 0.0464). This discovery of the natural production of VEGF111 in human endometrium, as well as the upregulation of VEGFA isoforms during menstruation in endometriosis, may shed further light on the development and progression of the disease, and improve our understanding of the regulation of endometrial angiogenesis.
Additional keywords: angiogenesis, endometrium, menstrual cycle, menstruation.
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