epidermal-growth-factor and Uterine-Diseases

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) system comprises four receptors, HER1-4, and several ligands, and is cyclically expressed in endometrium from healthy fertile women. Our aim is to identify differences in expression of the EGF system between endometriotic and normal endometrium.. We previously examined the EGF system in endometrial samples from healthy women (n = 14). Here we examine samples from endometrium (n = 23), endometriomas (n = 10) and peritoneal endometriosis (n = 9) from women with endometriosis (n = 23). mRNA expression of receptors and ligands from the EGF system was analyzed by real-time PCR, and proteins were localized by immunohistochemistry.. Endometrial mRNA for HER1-3 was high compared with our previous findings in healthy endometrium, whereas HER4 and the ligands were unchanged. Endometriomas show lower expression of HER1-3 and no HER4 expression. Significant differences were demonstrated in late secretory phase for HER1 and HER2 and in the proliferative phase for HER3 compared to healthy women. Immunohistochemically, HER2 was identified in all samples, predominately in glands and surface epithelium. In a few glands, HER2 was in both cytoplasm and cell membrane.. We report quantitative and qualitative differences in the EGF system in endometriotic eutopic endometrium compared to endometrium from healthy individuals.

Topics: Adult; Biomarkers; Biopsy, Needle; Case-Control Studies; Endometriosis; Epidermal Growth Factor; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Middle Aged; Premenopause; Probability; Reference Values; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Sensitivity and Specificity; Statistics, Nonparametric; Uterine Diseases; Young Adult

Our purpose was to evaluate the effects of known stimulants of prostaglandin production on cultured myometrial cells from women in labor with and without intrauterine infection.. Myometrial segments were obtained from 16 patients between 33 and 40 weeks' gestation who had been in labor for > or = 8 hours at cesarean delivery; 8 patients had clinical chorioamnionitis and 8 did not. Myometrial cells were isolated and grown in culture. Incubations were conducted with interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or epidermal growth factor. Prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2 alpha, and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (the stable metabolite of prostacyclin) were measured by radioimmunoassay, and cellular protein was determined.. Cultured human myometrial cells from patients with and without prior intrauterine infection produced prostaglandins in response to interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor at a significantly increased rate (p<0.05 vs controls at and above 10 ng/ml of interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor). The major prostaglandin produced in response to each stimulant was 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha; however, this response was attenuated in cells from patients with intrauterine infection.. Cultured human myometrial cells from patients with and without prior intrauterine infection respond to known stimulants of prostaglandin production. Prior intrauterine infection has no effect on baseline prostaglandin production, but the amount of prostacyclin produced as a response to cellular stimulants is decreased with prior intrauterine infection. This effect may have a role in regulating myometrial function in intrauterine infection.

Topics: 6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha; Cells, Cultured; Cytokines; Dinoprost; Dinoprostone; Epidermal Growth Factor; Female; Humans; Infections; Interleukin-1; Myometrium; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Prostaglandins; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Uterine Diseases

Our purpose was to determine the presence and cellular distribution of epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor receptor in surgically induced pelvic fibrous adhesions in rat uterine horns subjected to burn, crush, and debridement injury and intraperitoneal fibrous adhesions formed to various organs in the human.. A total of 15 injured and five uninjured rats were used in this study, and fibrous adhesions and intact peritoneum were removed for processing 2 weeks after surgery. Fibrous adhesions formed to uterine, ovarian, and oviductal tissues and the peritoneal wall from eight patients who had gynecologic surgery were also collected. The tissues were processed for immunohistochemical localization of epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor receptor with specific antibodies to human and rat epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-alpha and the extracellular binding domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor.. All the cell types in the rat fibrous adhesion immunostained for epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor receptor. The highest immunostaining intensity for epidermal growth factor was associated with inflammatory cells infiltrated into the fibrous adhesion, followed by arteriole endothelial and smooth muscle cells, fascial striated muscle, and fibroblasts of the fibrous adhesion. In the uterine tissue at the site of injuries myometrial smooth muscle cells, in addition to inflammatory cells that migrated among stromal cells, also immunostained for epidermal growth factor. Fibrous adhesions also immunostained for transforming growth factor-alpha with three separate polyclonal antibodies to the amino and carboxy termini of transforming growth factor-alpha precursor and the mature transforming growth factor-alpha, with no substantial differences in their intensity and pattern compared with epidermal growth factor. The pattern and cellular distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor was similar to that seen for epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-alpha. Fibrous adhesions from patients with intraperitoneal adhesions immunostained for epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, and epidermal growth factor receptor with a pattern and intensity similar to that observed in fibrous adhesions in the rats.. The data suggest that epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-alpha may play a key role both in normal mechanism of peritoneal repair after injury and formation and maintenance of fibrous adhesions.

Topics: Animals; Epidermal Growth Factor; ErbB Receptors; Female; Humans; Ovary; Peritoneal Diseases; Peritoneum; Postoperative Complications; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tissue Adhesions; Transforming Growth Factor alpha; Uterine Diseases; Uterus