Abstract
Objective
To investigate the expression of human β-defensin-2 (hBD-2) in the endometrium of patients with endometriosis (EMS) and explore the potential role of hBD-2 in the pathogenesis of EMS.
Design
Prospective controlled study.
Sample
50 women including EMS patients undergoing laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy and non-EMS patients undergoing hysterectomy for uterine fibroids.
Setting
Large university teaching hospital.
Methods
Patients were divided into EMS and non-EMS groups. The gene expressions of hBD-2, interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the endometrial tissues of each group were detected with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and hBD-2 protein expression with immunohistochemical method.
Results
The gene expression levels of hBD-2, TNF-α, and IL-1β as well as the positive expression rate of hBD-2 protein in the ectopic endometrium of EMS patients were significantly higher than those in the eutopic endometrium of EMS and non-EMS patients (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the gene expression levels of hBD-2 in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of EMS patients were positively correlated with the gene expression levels of IL-1β and TNF-α (P < 0.01).
Conclusion
High levels of hBD-2 gene and protein expressions in the ectopic endometrium of EMS patients may be an important contributor in the pathogenesis of EMS. TNF-α and IL-1β may promote the upregulation of hBD-2 expression.
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Abbreviations
- hBD-2:
-
Human β-defensin-2
- EMS:
-
Endometriosis
- TNF:
-
Tumor necrosis factor
- IL:
-
Interleukin
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Prof. Ke-xuan Liu and Prof. Zhengyun Xia for their helpful comments and the research protocol. This research was supported by a grant from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81070472, to S.-Q. Chen).
Conflict of interest
The authors have stated explicitly that there are no conflicts of interest in connection with this article.
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Shu-Qin Chen and Jin-Bo Li equally contributed to this work.
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Chen, SQ., Li, JB., Jiang, HY. et al. Expression of human β-defensin-2 in the eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues in patients with endometriosis. Arch Gynecol Obstet 287, 1151–1157 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2686-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2686-7