Influence of progestin use on the IL-10 level in peritoneal endometriosis

Purpose: How can progestin influence the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 level in the peritoneum with endometriosis? Methods: A cross-sectional study with a laboratory analysis carried out in tertiary hospitals in southern Brazil with clinical-demographic data compilation and sample collection of peritoneal lavage and a peritoneum biopsy from 40 patients — 22 with endometriosis (11 with progestin and 11 without it) and 18 in the control group — was conducted. For the sample analysis, the ELISA was performed, and a comparison of the average IL-10 concentrations by ANOVA followed by Bonferroni was carried out. Results: There was a higher concentration of IL-10 among patients with endometriosis compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.05), and statistical significance was observed with a reduction of IL-10 in the peritoneal lavage of patients with endometriosis in the use of progestin (8.1 ± 7.4 pg/ml) compared to those with endometriosis without using progestin (17.9 ± 10.5 pg/ml). Considering the disease stage, a higher level of IL-10 (p ≤ 0.05) was observed both in the initial stages (12.1 ± 10.5 pg/ml) and in advanced stages (15.4 ± 9.7 pg/ml) compared to the control (1.7 ± 1.8 pg/ml), which was significantly higher for advanced endometriosis.