OBJECTIVE:
To investigate whether proteins secreted in urine differ between women with and without endometriosis.
DESIGN:
Laboratory study using human urine.
SETTING:
University-based laboratory.
PATIENT(S):
Women with and without endometriosis undergoing laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and curettage.
INTERVENTION(S):
Urine collection from women with and without endometriosis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):
Proteomic techniques and mass spectrometry to identify proteins secreted in the urine of women with and without endometriosis.
RESULT(S):
On average, 133 proteins were significantly different between women with and without endometriosis. Cytokeratin-19 was highly up-regulated in the urine of women with endometriosis.
CONCLUSION(S):
Cytokeratin-19 may be a valuable urinary biomarker for endometriosis.
Copyright © 2011 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.