Overexpression of IL-18 in the Proliferative Phase Endometrium of Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit low implantation rate and high abortion rate. To explore the effect of low-grade chronic inflammation on endometrium of women with PCOS, we investigated the expression of interleukin 18 (IL-18) in the endometrium of 23 women with PCOS and 20 healthy women. Endometrial tissue samples were obtained during hysteroscopic surgery. We found that IL-18 was significantly increased in the endometrium of women with PCOS compared with normal groups. In overweight women, IL-18 was obviously overexpressed in the PCOS group compared to the healthy group. However, in normal-weight women, there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups, and there was no significant difference in IL-18 expression in patients having PCOS with or without insulin resistance. We conclude that IL-18 protein and messenger RNA levels are increased in the endometrium of patients with PCOS, and this effect is correlated with body mass index.