SERUM CONCENTRATION OF ENDOGENOUS G-CSF IN WOMEN DURING THE MENSTRUAL-CYCLE AND PREGNANCY

Although granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is commonly used in the held of supportive therapy for cancer treatment, the serum concentration of endogenous G-CSF in healthy women is still obscure due to the low sensitivity (30 pg mL(-1)) of the usual enzyme immunoassay. With the development of a highly sensitive (1.0 pg mL(-1)) chemiluminescent immunoassay by Kiriyama et al., we have clarified the changes of serum G-CSF levels in healthy women during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. The G-CSF concentration showed a peak value of 27.3 +/- 2.5 pg mL(-1) (mean +/- SEM) at the ovulatory phase during the menstrual cycle, which is significantly higher than in all other phases (P < 0.0001, unpaired t-test). A significantly higher value compared to the menstrual cycle, except during the ovulatory phase, was also revealed throughout pregnancy (P < 0.0001, unpaired t-test). These results suggest that G-CSF plays an important role in ovulation and the maintenance of pregnancy.