Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

High Concentrations of Activin A in the Peritoneal Fluid of Women With Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

  • Research Letter
  • Published:
The Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation: JSGI Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the concentrations of activin A in the peritoneal fluid of women with epithelial (serous) ovarian cancer.

Methods

A group of 160 women was studied and divided in four subgroups as follows: 1) serous ovarian carcinoma (n = 32); 2) serous ovarian cystadenoma (n = 20); 3) endometriosis (n = 53); and 4) healthy controls (n = 55), including both fertile (n = 32) and postmenopausal women (n = 23). Specimens of peritoneal fluid were collected during surgical interventions, and activin A was quantified using a specific two-site enzyme immunoassay.

Results

Peritoneal fluid activin A concentrations in women with ovarian carcinoma were about five-fold higher than those found in the control group (median [interquartile range] = 7.60 [2.85–10.15] and 1.50 [1.00–2.50] ng/mL, respectively, P <.001). In contrast, the women with benign serous cystadenoma had peritoneal fluid activin A concentrations (1.50 [1.0–2.70] ng/mL) similar to those of the control group. High peritoneal fluid activin A levels (>2 multiples of the mean) distinguished carcinoma from cystadenoma with a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 80%. The follow-up of nine patients with stage IIIc ovarian cancer showed no apparent relationship between the peritoneal fluid activin A levels and overall survival. No significant difference in peritoneal fluid activin A concentrations between patients with endometriosis and control women was observed.

Conclusion

Most women with serous ovarian carcinoma had high concentrations of activin A in the peritoneal fluid, supporting a possible role of this growth factor in ovarian cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Vale W, Rivier J, Vaughan J, et al. Purification and characterization of an FSH releasing protein from porcine ovarian follicular fluid. Nature 1986;321:776–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Luisi S, Florio P, Reis FM, Petraglia F. Expression and secretion of activin A: Possible physiological and clinical implications. Eur J Endocrinol 2001;145:225–36.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Petraglia F, Florio P, Luisi S, et al. Expression and secretion of inhibin and activin in normal and neoplastic uterine tissues: High levels of serum activin A in women with endometrial and cervical carcinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998;83:1194–200.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Harada K, Shintani Y, Sakamoto Y, Wakatsuki M, Shitsukawa K, Saito S. Serum immunoreactive activin A levels in normal subjects and patients with various diseases. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:2125–30.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Reis FM, Cobellis L, Tameirao LC, et al. Serum and tissue expression of activin A in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87:2277–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Risbridger GP, Schmitt JF, Robertson DM. Activins and inhibins in endocrine and others tumors. Endocrine Rev 2001;22: 836–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yamashita K, Yamoto M, Shikone T, Minami S, Nakano R. Immunohistochemical localization of inhibin and activin subunits in human epithelial ovarian tumors. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:316–22.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Zeng W, Sung CJ, Hanna I, et al. and subunits of inhibin/activin as sex cord-stromal differentiation markers. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1997;16:263–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cobellis L, Cataldi P, Reis FM, et al. Gonadal malignant germ cell tumors express immunoreactive inhibin/activin subunits. Eur J Endocrinol 2001;145:779–84.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Welt CK, Lambert-Messerlian G, Zheng W, Crowley WF Jr, Schneyer AL. Presence of activin, inhibin, and follistatin in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997;82:3720–7.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lambert-Messerlian GM, DePasquale SE, Maybruck WM, Steinhoff MM, Gajewski WH. Secretion of activin A in recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Gynecol Oncol 1999;74:93–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Menon U, Riley SC, Thomas J, et al. Serum inhibin, activin and follistatin in postmenopausal women with epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Br J Obstet Gynecol 2000;107:1069–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Florio P, Luisi S, Viganó P, et al. Healthy women and patients with endometriosis show high concentrations of inhibin A, inhibin B, and activin A in peritoneal fluid throughout the menstrual cycle. Hum Reprod 1998;13:2606–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Reis FM, Di Blasio AM, Florio P, Ambrosini G, Di Loreto C, Petraglia F. Evidence for local production of inhibin A and activin A in patients with ovarian endometriosis. Fertil Steril 2001;75:367–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Ala-Fossi SL, Maenpaa J, Blauer M, Tuohimaa P, Punnonen R. Inhibin A, B and pro-alphaC in serum and peritoneal fluid in postmenopausal patients with ovarian tumors. Eur J Endocrinol 2000;142:334–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ogawa K, Funaba M, Mathews LS, Mizutani T. Activin A stimulates type IV collagenase (matrix metalloproteinase-2) production in mouse peritoneal macrophages. J Immunol 2000;165:2997–3003.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Ito I, Minegishi T, Fukuda J, Shinozaki H, Auersperg N, Leung PCK. Presence of activin signal transduction in normal ovarian cells and epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Br J Cancer 2000;82:1415–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Zheng W, Lauchlan SC. Inhibin and activin: Their roles in ovarian tumorigenesis and their diagnostic utility in surgical pathology practice. Appl Immunohistochem 1999;7:29–38.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Coerver KA, Woodruff TK, Finegold MJ, Mather J, Bradley A, Matzuk MM. Activin signaling through activin receptor type II causes the cachexia-like symptoms in inhibin-deficient mice. Mol Endocrinol 1996;10:534–43.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Zeng W, Luo MP, Welt C, et al. Imbalanced expression of inhibin and activin subunits in primary epithelial ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 1998;69:23–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Muttukrishna S, Fowler PA, George L, Groome NP, Knight PG. Changes in peripheral serum levels of total activin A during the human menstrual cycle and pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:3328–34.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Loria P, Petraglia F, Concari M, et al. Influence of age and sex on serum concentrations of total dimeric activin A. Eur J Endocrinol 1998;139:487–92.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, University of Siena, Policlinico Le Scotte, Viale Bracci, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Luigi Cobellis, Fernando M. Reis, Stefano Luisi, Secondo Danero, Luigi Pirtoli, Giovanni Scambia & Felice Petraglia MD (Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Luigi Cobellis, Fernando M. Reis, Stefano Luisi, Secondo Danero, Luigi Pirtoli, Giovanni Scambia & Felice Petraglia MD (Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

  3. Department of Gynecology, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Luigi Cobellis, Fernando M. Reis, Stefano Luisi, Secondo Danero, Luigi Pirtoli, Giovanni Scambia & Felice Petraglia MD (Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Authors
  1. Luigi Cobellis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fernando M. Reis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stefano Luisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Secondo Danero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Luigi Pirtoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Giovanni Scambia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Felice Petraglia MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Felice Petraglia MD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cobellis, L., Reis, F.M., Luisi, S. et al. High Concentrations of Activin A in the Peritoneal Fluid of Women With Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Reprod. Sci. 11, 203–206 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsgi.2003.10.008

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsgi.2003.10.008

Key words

Search

Navigation