Study On The Expression Of MMP-9/TIMP-1 In Mucous Epithelium Of Fallopian Tube And It's Relation To Tubal Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of MMP-9/TIMP-1 in fallopian tube and explore its possible mechanisms in tubal pregnancy.METHODS: Ampulla of fallopian tube from normal women, early stage of intrauterine pregnancy woman, patients with chronic salpingitis, and tubal pregnancy (abortion and no rupture) were selected for our present study. Immunohistochemistry and semi-quantity pathologic image software system were used to analysis the expression of MMP-9/TIMP-1 respectively in above-mentioned mucous epithelium of fallopian tube.RESULTS: (1) The positive expression of MMP-9/TIMP-1 were found in cell plasm and membrane of the mucosa epithelium of fallopian tubal in normal tube, early intrauterine pregnancy, salpingitis and tubal pregnancy, but the staining intensity is different among above groups respectively. (2) No significant difference was found both for MMP-9/TIMP-1 expression between the normal group and women with early intrauterine pregnancy. No significant difference was found both for MMP-9/TIMP-1 expression between tubal pregnancy and salpingitis (3) Expression level of MMP-9 is significantly higher in tubal pregnancy than in the normal tube and early intrauterine pregnancy, whereas expression level of TIMP-1 show no significance in these group. (4) Expression level of MMP-9 is significantly higher in the salpingitis than in the normal tube and early intrauterine pregnancy, whereas level of TIMP-1 show no significance in these group. (5) No significant difference was found both for MMP-9/TIMP-1 expression between the groups of tubal abortion and disrupt of pregnancy. (6) For the ratio of MMP-9/TIMP-1expression: There is no significance between the normal tube and women with early intrauterine pregnancy, there is significance between the salpingitis and both of them, there is significance between the tubal pregnancy and both of them.CONCLUSION: (1) MMP-9/TIMP-1 take part in physiological process of normal pregnancy, but pregnancy itself is not a miscellaneous factor in our study. (2) Imbalanced-expression of MMP-9/TIMP-1 probably participated in the formation of tubal pregnancy through chronic inflammation of fallopian tube. (3) MMP-9/TIMP-1 have no effect on the outcome of tubal pregnancy.