Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
PLoS One. 2021 Apr 7;16(4):e0249775. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249775. eCollection 2021.
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between chronic endometritis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in the endometrium of infertile patients in the implantation phase.
Endometrial biopsy specimens from 66 infertility patients were analyzed. The presence of chronic endometritis was investigated by immunostaining for CD138. Immunohistochemical staining for E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Slug, and Snail was performed, and the expression profiles were statistically analyzed according to the presence of chronic endometritis. When the loss of E-cadherin expression and/or the positive expression of N-cadherin was detected, the specimen was considered epithelial-mesenchymal transition-positive. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-positive cases were also statistically analyzed according to the presence of chronic endometritis. The characteristics of the patients in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition-positive and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-negative groups were compared. The association between variables, including age, body mass index, gravidity, parity, and each causative factor of infertility and epithelial-mesenchymal transition positivity was analyzed.
The rates of the loss of E-cadherin expression, the gain of N-cadherin and epithelial-mesenchymal transition positivity were significantly higher in chronic endometritis patients. The expression of Slug, cytoplasmic Snail, and nuclear Snail was also detected at significantly higher rates in chronic endometritis patients. Chronic endometritis were related to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
The epithelial-mesenchymal transition was frequently detected in the endometrium in infertile patients with chronic endometritis. Since the epithelial-mesenchymal transition is associated with chronic endometritis, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition appears to be involved in the alteration of mechanisms of implantation.
本研究旨在评估慢性子宫内膜炎与不孕患者着床期子宫内膜上皮-间质转化之间的关系。
分析 66 例不孕患者的子宫内膜活检标本。通过免疫组化法检测 CD138 来评估慢性子宫内膜炎的存在。进行 E-钙黏蛋白、N-钙黏蛋白、Slug 和 Snail 的免疫组织化学染色，并根据慢性子宫内膜炎的存在对表达谱进行统计分析。当检测到 E-钙黏蛋白表达缺失和/或 N-钙黏蛋白阳性表达时，认为标本为上皮-间质转化阳性。根据慢性子宫内膜炎的存在，对上皮-间质转化阳性病例进行统计学分析。比较上皮-间质转化阳性和上皮-间质转化阴性组患者的特征。分析包括年龄、体重指数、孕次、产次和每种不孕病因与上皮-间质转化阳性之间的相关性。
慢性子宫内膜炎患者 E-钙黏蛋白表达缺失、N-钙黏蛋白获得和上皮-间质转化阳性的发生率明显更高。Slug、细胞质 Snail 和核 Snail 的表达在慢性子宫内膜炎患者中也明显更高。慢性子宫内膜炎与上皮-间质转化有关。
慢性子宫内膜炎不孕患者的子宫内膜中常检测到上皮-间质转化。由于上皮-间质转化与慢性子宫内膜炎有关，上皮-间质转化似乎参与了着床机制的改变。
