| Diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNES) includes secreting neurons and endocrine cells (EC), which diffuse distributed in many sites of the body. The common features of DNES are they can secrete various kinds of amine and/or peptides, and they modulate the development, differentiation, metabolism and function by endocrine, paracrine and autocrine, neurocrine and lumenocrine. DNES cells also present in a number of tumors, and appear to be associated with tumor growth, invasiveness, metastatic processes and angiogenesis.Endocrine cells are also called argyrophil cells because their argentaffin or argyrophilic properties. Grimelius silver nitrate staining is a traditional method to detect endocrine cells, but its sensitivity and specificity are unsatisfied. Immunohistochemical techniques are used to identify the endocrine cells nowaday. The commonly used markers are neuron-specific enolase (NSE), chromogranin A(CgA) and synaptophysin(Syn). CgA, a member of the family of acidic secretory proteins found in the secretory granules of a wide variety of endocrine cells and neurons, where it is stored together with many different peptid hormones and neuropeptides, may be involved in the packaging peptides into secretory granules and may modulate peptide hormone processing. The specificity and sensitivity of CgA was 85.7% and 67.9% respectively, therefore CgA can be used to demonstrate most of endocrine cells.Some researchs have showed that there are scanty endocrine cells in normal endometrium, while they are frequently present in endometrial carcinoma. A number of bioactive secretory productes such as serotonin, somatostatin, FSH, ACTH, vasoactive intestinal peptide, gastrin, bombesin have been identified by monoclonal antisera in endometrioid adenocarcinoma. Very little is known about the function of endocrine cells in endometrioid adenocarcinoma, however several endocrine hormones, including serotonin, bombesin and somatostatin, are known to manifest growth-modulating activity and may influence the growth, differentiation and function of the target cells. A number of analogues or agonists of the endocrine hormones have studied in vitro and in vivo, and the results showed they are effective in treating tumor-related syndromes.It is well-know that uterus as an organ is dependent on estrogen and progesterone for its normal development and function. The importance of peptide hormones, growth factors, autocrine-paracrine regulatory loops, and stromal-epithelial interactions is now widely recognized. So, the role of endocrine cells in endometrium should not be neglected. The studies on endocrine cells of endometrium are far less than that on gastrointestinal trac^ lung^ pancreas and prostate. Our investigations are try to explore the histogenesis of endometrial endocrine cells, their development during embryonic period, their biological characteristic and significance in normal and malignant endometrial tissue, and to provide a new approach of therapeutic procedures based on neuroendocrine hormones and their antagonists.Part oneMorphological Observation on Endocrine Cells of Human Normal Endometrium and Endometrioid AdenocarcinomObjective: To observe the morphological and ultrastructural characteristic of normal endometrium and endometrioid adenocarcinoma.Materials and Methods: Fetal endometrium of 12-40 week gestation (n=20), normal adult endometrium (n=20) and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (n=50) were studied by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscope.Results:1. Immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural observations of fetal endometriumChromogranin A positive cells appeared in 16-week fetus and located in the surface and glandular epithelium. Cells containing serotonin, somatostatin and gastrin-releasing peptide did not found.The ultrastructure of endocrine cells showed that their cytoplasm contained specific dense core vesicles.2. Immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural observations of normal endometriumScanty CgA positive cells w...
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