Effect of letrozole on endometrosis and apoptosis of ectopic endometrial cells in rats.
10.3969/j.issn.1672-7347.2013.01.010
- Author:
Xiaomeng XIA
1
;
Lilu GUO
;
Jinping SU
;
Xiaoling FANG
Author Information
1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH:
Animals;
Apoptosis;
drug effects;
Aromatase;
metabolism;
Aromatase Inhibitors;
therapeutic use;
Cyclooxygenase 2;
metabolism;
Endometriosis;
drug therapy;
pathology;
Endometrium;
metabolism;
pathology;
Female;
Letrozole;
Nitriles;
therapeutic use;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2;
metabolism;
Rats;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley;
Triazoles;
therapeutic use;
bcl-2-Associated X Protein;
metabolism
- From:
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences)
2013;38(1):54-59
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of letrozole, the third-generation aromatase inhibitor, on endometriotic lesions in a rat model and its effect on the apoptosis of ectopic endometrial cells.
METHODS:Endometriosis was induced by autotransplanting pieces of uterus onto the peritoneum in rats. The rats with successful ectopic implants were divided into 2 groups: A letrozole group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The volume, appearance, and histopathology of ectopic implant were determined before and after the treatment. Expression of P450arom, COX-2, bcl-2, and bax in the ectopic implant was detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR in the 2 groups.
RESULTS:The volume of ectopic implant in the letrozole group was significantly reduced compared with the control group (P<0.05). The protein and mRNA levels of P450arom and COX-2 in the ectopic implant were significantly decreased in the letrozole group compared with the control group (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the expression of P450arom and the expression of COX-2 (r=0.943, P<0.001; r=0.913, P<0.001). The protein and mRNA expression of bcl-2 was significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the bax protein and mRNA expression was significantly increased (P<0.05) in the ectopic implant with an increased bax/bcl-2 ratio in the letrozole group compared with the control group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION:Letrozole can obviously reduce the size of ectopic implant through decreasing P450arom and COX-2 expression, suppressing the secretion of estrogen, inhibiting the proliferation, and inducing the apoptosis of ectopic implants.
