Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, 146-92 Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-720, Korea.
Hum Reprod. 2010 May;25(5):1251-8. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deq027. Epub 2010 Feb 19.
Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in the establishment and development of endometriosis. Thioredoxin (TRX) is an endogenous redox regulator that protects cells against oxidative stress, and TRX-binding protein-2 (TBP-2) is a negative regulator of TRX in the biological function and expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of TRX and TBP-2 in the pathophysiology of endometriosis.
A total of 35 patients with histologically confirmed endometriosis and 31 patients without endometriosis participated in this study. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify TRX and TBP-2 mRNA levels, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess TRX and TBP-2 protein localization in the endometrium. Serum and peritoneal fluid levels of TRX and TBP-2 were measured using a specific commercial ELISA.
There were no significant differences in TRX mRNA levels in the endometrium of patients with endometriosis and the control groups. However, TBP-2 mRNA levels in the endometrium were lower, and the TRX to TBP-2 ratio was higher in patients with endometriosis than in the control group. In particular, the TRX to TBP-2 ratio was significantly higher during late secretory and menstrual phase in patients with endometriosis compared with the control group. IHC studies also showed the decreased TBP-2 immunoreactivity in patients with endometriosis compared with the control group. There was no correlation between TRX and TBP-2 mRNA levels in patients with endometriosis, whereas TRX mRNA levels were positively correlated with TBP-2 mRNA levels in the control group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in TRX and TBP-2 levels in serum or peritoneal fluid.
Aberrant expression of TRX and TBP-2 in the endometrium may be associated with the establishment of endometriosis.
氧化应激被认为参与了子宫内膜异位症的发生和发展。硫氧还蛋白（TRX）是一种内源性氧化还原调节剂，可保护细胞免受氧化应激，TRX 结合蛋白-2（TBP-2）是 TRX 在生物功能和表达中的负调节剂。本研究旨在探讨 TRX 和 TBP-2 在子宫内膜异位症病理生理学中的作用。
共有 35 名经组织学证实患有子宫内膜异位症和 31 名无子宫内膜异位症的患者参与了这项研究。实时聚合酶链反应用于量化 TRX 和 TBP-2 mRNA 水平，免疫组织化学（IHC）用于评估子宫内膜中 TRX 和 TBP-2 蛋白的定位。使用特定的商业 ELISA 测量血清和腹腔液中 TRX 和 TBP-2 的水平。
子宫内膜异位症患者和对照组的 TRX mRNA 水平无显著差异。然而，子宫内膜异位症患者的 TBP-2 mRNA 水平较低，TRX 与 TBP-2 的比值高于对照组。特别是在子宫内膜异位症患者中，在分泌晚期和月经期，TRX 与 TBP-2 的比值明显高于对照组。IHC 研究还表明，与对照组相比，子宫内膜异位症患者的 TBP-2 免疫反应性降低。子宫内膜异位症患者中 TRX 和 TBP-2 mRNA 水平之间无相关性，而对照组中 TRX mRNA 水平与 TBP-2 mRNA 水平呈正相关。两组患者血清或腹腔液中 TRX 和 TBP-2 水平无显著差异。
子宫内膜中 TRX 和 TBP-2 的异常表达可能与子宫内膜异位症的发生有关。
