Expression Of Cyclooxygenase-2 And Prostanglandin In Endometriosis And Adenomyosis

Objective The expression of COX-2 in endometriosis and adennomyosis was studied by immunohistochemistry (SABC) and PGs by radioimmunoassay, to explore the relationship between the expression of COX-2 and PGs and the clinical pathological abnormalities of EMs and adenomyosis.Methods 45 samples of endometriosis and 50 samples of adenomyosis were choosen from Tai'an central hospital and their clinical significance were analysed. The tissues investigated included eutopic endometrium and myometrium from the patients with myoma of uterus and the ones with adenomyosis,ectopic endometrium from the wall of ovarian chocolate cysts and myometrium of adenomyosis. Two pieces of samples were resected and they were used for different experiments. One was cut into 4um slices. COX-2 were detected by polyclonal COX-2 antibody in immunohistochemistry (SABC), The other piece was made into supernatant, in which the concentration of TXB₂ and 6-keto-PGF_1α Was measured by radioimmunoassay.Results The cytoplasms of glandular epithelial cell of eutopic and ectopic endometrium were all stained, a few interstitial cells were stained by polyclonal COX-2 antibody. Increased expression of COX-2 in ectopic endometrium of EMs and adenomyosis was significantly more pronounced than that in the control group (p<0.01).Among different AFS stages of EMs, expression of COX-2 was not remarkably different, the same between the bigger and the smaller cyst, with and without pelvic pain.In eutopic endometrium of adenomyosis,the expression of COX-2 was significantly more pronounced than that in the control group (p<0.05). The eutopic endometrium of adenomyosis with menorrhea was pronounced higher than that of ones without menorrhea in COX-2 expression(p<0.05). The concentrations of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF_1α in EMs were significantly more different than those in control group (p<0.0l). Between adenomyosis and myometrium, the difference of 6-keto-PGF_1α content was significant. But there were not significantly difference of TXB2.The contents of 6-keto-PGF_1α and TXB2 in eutopic endometrium were not significantly more different than those in ectopic endometrium (p>0.05).Conclusions This study indicates that increased expression of COX-2 was strongly correlated with occurrence and progression of EMs. No relevant correlation between COX-2 expression and clinic-pathological abnormalities, such as pelvic pain,...