Endometriosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Endometriosis, including details on causes, treatment, symptoms, infertility.

Immunohistochemical detection of heparanase-1 expression in eutopic and ectopic endometrium from women with endometriosis.

Xu X, Ding J, Ding H, Shen J, Gattuso P, Prinz RA, Rana N, Dmowski WP

Department of General Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. xxu@rush.edu

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of heparanase-1, an endoglycosidase that degrades heparan sulfate proteoglycans, in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues from women with endometriosis. DESIGN: An immunohistochemical study. SETTING: Academic research laboratory and a private infertility clinic affiliated with a university medical center. PATIENT(S): Premenopausal women undergoing laparoscopy for endometriosis. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Expression of heparanase-1 analyzed by immunohistochemical staining in 91 eutopic and 14 ectopic endometrial specimens. RESULT(S): We found that 17% (4/24) of the eutopic endometrial specimens in the early proliferative phase and 32% (9/28) of the samples in the midproliferative phase were heparanase-1 positive. However, >or=80% of eutopic endometrial specimens at late proliferate phase and at luteal phase were heparanase-1 positive. Twelve of 14 ectopic endometriotic specimens stained heparanase-1 positive. Comparison of heparanase-1 expression in paired eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues revealed that 5 of 6 ectopic specimens in the early proliferative phase were heparanase-1 positive, whereas only 1 eutopic specimen was heparanase-1 positive. In comparison with our recent study of heparanase-1 expression in normal endometrium, we found that there was no significant difference in heparanase-1 expression in the eutopic endometrium from women with or without endometriosis. CONCLUSION(S): Heparanase-1 was differentially expressed in the eutopic endometrium in the different menstrual phases. Heparanase-1 was highly expressed in the ectopic endometriotic lesions regardless of their menstrual phases, suggesting that the local environment is responsible for increased heparanase-1 expression.

Published 9 November 2007 in Fertil Steril, 88(5): 1304-10.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Endometriosis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.