Department of Pathophysiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
Gynecology and Obstetrics Ward, Gynecologic Oncology Subdivision, J. Śniadecki Specialist Hospital Nowy Sącz, Poland.
Folia Med Cracov. 2020 Sep 28;60(2):81-95. doi: 10.24425/fmc.2020.135015.
Uterine leiomyoma is the most widespread benign tumor affecting women of childbearing age. There are still gaps in the understanding of its pathogenesis. Telocytes are unique cells found in more than 50 different locations inside the human body. The functional relationship between cells could clarify the pathogenesis of leiomyomata. Examination of membrane receptors on telocytes could explain their role in fibrosis, oxidative stress, and myometrial contractility.
This research was conducted to assess the density of telocytes in terms of their putative role in leiomyoma formation by focusing on their correlation with the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors.
For gross evaluation of uterine tissue samples from leiomyoma, routine histology of adjacent and unaffected myometrium was performed. Immunohistochemical analysis of c-kit, tryptase, CD34, PDGFRα (telocyte-specific), and ER and PRs (estrogen and progesterone receptors) was performed to examine uterine telocytes and the expression of sex steroid receptors.
The decline in telocyte density in leiomyoma foci was correlated with high progesterone expression and low estrogen receptor expression. The unchanged myometrium showed the opposite correlation and balance between both steroid hormone receptors. The difference in sex steroid receptor expression is correlated with the density of uterine telocytes, which emphasizes their conductor function.
A reduction in telocyte density and the changes in examined marker expression demonstrate the involvement of telocytes in local homeostasis. The expression of membrane receptors explicitly indicates their functional potential in the human myometrium, focusing attention on contractility and local homeostasis.
子宫肌瘤是最常见的影响育龄期妇女的良性肿瘤。其发病机制仍存在许多空白。 细长细胞是一种独特的细胞，存在于人体内 50 多个不同的部位。细胞之间的功能关系可以阐明子宫肌瘤的发病机制。检查细长细胞的膜受体可以解释它们在纤维化、氧化应激和子宫肌收缩性中的作用。
本研究旨在评估细长细胞的密度，以研究其在子宫肌瘤形成中的潜在作用，重点关注它们与雌激素和孕激素受体表达的相关性。
对子宫肌瘤组织标本进行大体评估，对相邻和未受影响的子宫肌进行常规组织学检查。对 c-kit、胰蛋白酶、CD34、PDGFRα（细长细胞特异性）和 ER、PR（雌激素和孕激素受体）进行免疫组织化学分析，以检查子宫细长细胞和性激素受体的表达。
子宫肌瘤病灶中细长细胞密度的下降与孕激素表达升高和雌激素受体表达降低有关。未受影响的子宫肌表现出相反的相关性和两种甾体激素受体之间的平衡。性激素受体表达的差异与子宫细长细胞的密度相关，这强调了它们的导体功能。
细长细胞密度的降低和所检查的标志物表达的变化表明细长细胞参与了局部内稳态。膜受体的表达明确表明了它们在人类子宫肌中的功能潜力，这将注意力集中在收缩性和局部内稳态上。
