Differentially expressed gene profiles in the serum before and after the ultrasound-guided ethanol sclerotherapy in patients with ovarian endometriomas

Objectives: To detect the differentially expressed genes and subsequently identify disease-related signatures and potential biomarkers for patients with ovarian endometriomas in the serum before and after the ultrasound-guided ethanol sclerotherapy in patients with ovarian endometriomas.

Design and methods: Venous blood samples were collected from nine patients with ovarian endometriomas before and after ultrasound-guided ethanol sclerotherapy, and the serum were isolated after centrifugation. NimbleGen human gene expression microarrays analysis was conducted to analyse gene ontology categories (GO terms) and signalling pathways of differentially expressed genes. The accuracy of some typical genes from microarray analysis was verified by quantitative PCR (qPCR).

Results: Approximately 45,033 genes were analysed by NimbleGen human gene expression microarrays, which identified 447 genes that showed differential expressions before and after therapy. Of these, 225 genes were up-regulated and 222 genes were down-regulated. The GO terms of the down-regulated genes were strongly associated with the pathogenesis of ovarian endometriomas; 15 down-regulated genes showed overlaps in both signalling pathways and GO terms. Among these, six genes showed statistical significance including IL6, CD36, JUNB, B4GALT1, HES1, and NR4A1, which were also validated by qPCR analysis.

Conclusions: There were differentially expressed genes in the serum before and after ultrasound-guided ethanol sclerotherapy in patients with ovarian endometriomas. Notably, the expressions of IL6, CD36, JUNB, B4GALT1, HES1, and NR4A1, which are strongly associated with the pathogenesis of ovarian endometriomas, were significantly down-regulated after ethanol sclerotherapy. This may not only help us understand EMs pathogenesis, but also provide potential biomarkers for verifying the effects of ethanol sclerotherapy.