Expression And Significance Of Cox-2 In Endometrial Adencarcinoma

Objective: To detect the protein and mRNA of COX-2 in the normal endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adencarcinoma. To investigate the development of COX-2 in the endometrial adencarcinoma.Methods:1. HE stain identifies the histology of 60 cases specimen.2. Immunohistochemical stain was used to detect COX-2 protein expression in normal endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adencarcinoma tissues.3. The electron microscopic immunohistochemical technique was used to observe the ultrastructrue location of COX-2 protein labeled by colloidal gold in the endometrial adencarcinoma.4. Quantitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to examine the levels of COX-2mRNA in the following groups: normal endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adencarcinoma tissues. Results:1. HE: 10 cases normal endometrium, 12 cases endometrial hyperplasia and 38 cases endometrial adencarcinoma, include 10 cases well differentiated, 18 cases moderately differentiated, 10 cases poorly differentiated adencarcinoma.2. Immunohistochemistry:(1) Expression of COX-2 protein in normal endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adencarcinoma tissues were 20.0%, 66.7%, and 71.1%. Expression of COX-2 protein in different histological grades of endometrial adencarcinoma tissues were 50.0%, 72.2% and 90.0%.(2) Compared with normal endometrium, expression of COX-2 protein in endometrial and in endometrial hyperplasia also had significant difference (P<0.05). But there was no significant differences between endometrial adencarcinoma and endometrial hyperplasia (P>0.05).(3) COX-2 positivity did not show a statistically significant association with any histological grades of endometrial adencarcinoma (P>0.05).3. The COX-2 labelled by colloidal gold immunoelectron microscopy technique was observed in the endoplasmic reticulum in the endometrial adencarcinoma.4. RT-PCR:(1) The expression of COX-2 mRNA was negative in 6 cases normal endometrium. The expression of COX-2 mRNA in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adencarcinoma tissues were 50.0% and 58.3%.(2) Compared with normal endometrium, expression of COX-2 mRNA in endometrial and in endometrial hyperplasia also had significant difference (P<0.05). But there was no significant differences between endometrial adencarcinoma and endometrial hyperplasia (P>0.05).Conclusion:1. COX-2 was poorly/negative expressed in the normal endometrium tissue and highly expressed in the endometrial hyperplasia and the endometrial adencarcinoma tissues. COX-2 may be closely connected with earlier lesions of endometrium.2. The expression of COX-2 was not correlated with histological grades of endometrial adenocarcinoma.3. COX-2 protein existed in endoplasmic reticulum of endometrial adencarcinoma.