Background: To identify the level of periostin in serum and peritoneal washing fluids (PWF) from women with and without endometriosis, as well as to explore the potential of periostin as a biomarker of endometriosis.
Methods: Samples were obtained from 184 women with and without endometriosis. Concentrations of periostin in PWF and blood were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: Levels of periostin both in serum and PWF were notably elevated in women with endometriosis in both the proliferative and secretory phase. Combined with dysmenorrhea and infertility, two potential covariates, the serum periostin had a sensitivity of 75.00%, specificity of 65.00%, and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.774, whereas the PWF periostin had a sensitivity of 94.23%, specificity of 90.00%, and AUC of 0.967 for the diagnosis of endometriosis.
Conclusion: Serum and PWF periostin concentrations may be new potential biomarkers for endometriosis, especially when combined with dysmenorrhea and infertility.
Keywords: Biomarker; dysmenorrhea; endometriosis; infertility; periostin.