No abstract available.
Animal ; Chlorides/metabolism* ; Endometrium/metabolism* ; Female ; Mice ; Sodium/metabolism*

Endometriosis, a heterogeneous, inflammatory, and estrogen-dependent gynecological disease defined by the presence and growth of endometrial tissues outside the lining of the uterus, affects approximately 5-10% of reproductive-age women, causing chronic pelvic pain and reduced fertility. Although the etiology of endometriosis is still elusive, emerging evidence supports the idea that immune dysregulation can promote the survival and growth of retrograde endometrial debris. Peritoneal macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells exhibit deficient cytotoxicity in the endometriotic microenvironment, leading to inefficient eradication of refluxed endometrial fragments. In addition, the imbalance of T-cell subtypes results in aberrant cytokine production and chronic inflammation, which contribute to endometriosis development. Although it remains uncertain whether immune dysregulation represents an initial cause or merely a secondary enhancer of endometriosis, therapies targeting altered immune pathways exhibit satisfactory effects in preventing disease onset and progression. Here, we summarize the phenotypic and functional alterations of immune cells in the endometriotic microenvironment, focusing on their interactions with microbiota and endocrine and nervous systems, and how these interactions contribute to the etiology and symptomology of endometriosis.
Female ; Humans ; Endometriosis/metabolism* ; Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism* ; T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Estrogens ; Endometrium/metabolism*

Adult ; Endometriosis ; complications ; metabolism ; Endometrium ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; etiology ; metabolism ; Leptin ; metabolism

The present study was aimed to investigate the expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) in mouse endometrium during early pregnancy and its possible role during blastocyst implantation. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) and immunohistochemical techniques were applied to detect PTEN mRNA and protein expressions in endometrium in un-pregnant and pregnant mice on days 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 of pregnancy, respectively. In addition, PTEN antisense oligonucleotide was injected into the horns of uterus in pregnant mice on day 3 of pregnancy and its effects on blastocyst implantation was detected in vivo. The higher expressions of PTEN mRNA and protein were observed in pregnant mice compared with that in un-pregnant mice, with a steady increasing from day 1 to 7 and reaching the maximal level on day 5 of pregnancy. PTEN antisense oligonucleotide decreased the number of implanted blastocysts compared with saline. The results suggest that PTEN might associate with apoptosis of luminal epithelial and decidual cells, coordinating decidualization of endometrium and invasion of trophoblastic cells. Thus, PTEN may participate in the process of blastocyst implantation in mice.
Animals ; Chromosomes ; Embryo Implantation ; Endometrium ; metabolism ; Female ; Mice ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Trophoblasts ; metabolism

The synthesis and decomposition of glycogen adjust the blood glucose dynamically to maintain the energy supply required by the cells. As the only hormone that lowers blood sugar in the body, insulin can promote glycogen synthesis by activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway and increasing glucose transporter translocation, and inhibit gluconeogenesis to lower blood glucose. In the endometrium, glycogen metabolism is active, but gluconeogenesis does not occur. The glycogen metabolism in the endometrium is controlled not only by the classical glucose regulating hormones, but also by the ovarian hormones. The functional activities related to implantation of the endometrium during the implantation window require glucose as energy source. A large amount of glucose is used to synthesize glycogen in the endometrium before implantation, which could meet the increased energy demand for embryo implantation. In diabetes, glycogen metabolism in the endometrium is impaired, which frequently leads to implantation failure and early abortion. This article reviews the glycogen metabolism in the endometrium and discusses its role in embryo implantation, which provide new ideas for embryo implantation research and infertility treatment.
Blood Glucose/metabolism* ; Embryo Implantation ; Endometrium ; Female ; Glucose/metabolism* ; Glycogen/metabolism* ; Humans ; Insulin/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Pregnancy

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression of fragile histidine triad in endometriosis and investigate the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

METHODSimmunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of Fhit in the eutopic and ectopic endometria of 58 patients with endometriosis and in the endometria in 15 patients with hysteromyoma.

RESULTSThe intensity of Fhit expression decreased in the order of normal endometrium, eutopic endometrium in endometriosis group, and ectopic endometrium. In patients with endometriosis, Fhit expression in the eutopic and ectopic endometria in proliferative phase showed no significant difference from that in secretory phase (P>0.05). Fhit expression in the ectopic endometrium showed significant difference between different r-AFS stages. MOD of ectopic endometrium in stages I-II was significantly higher than that in stages III-IV (P<0.05), but Fhit expression in the eutopic endometrium showed no significant difference (P>0.05). MOD of ovarian endometriosis showed no difference with that of adenomyosis.

CONCLUSIONSFhit may play an important role in the development of endometriosis.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases ; metabolism ; Adult ; Endometriosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Endometrium ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the difference in the gene expression, amino acid and carnitine levels in the cervical secretions between the endometria of pre-receptive and receptive stages, with an aim to provide clues for identifying new molecular markers for endometrial receptivity. METHODS: Fifty nine infertile women treated at the Department of Reproductive Medicine of Linyi People's Hospital from January 6, 2020 to January 31, 2022 were selected as as the study subjects, which were matched with 3 pairs (6 cases) of infertile women preparing for embryo transfer based on factors such as age, body mass index, and length of infertility. Endometrial tissue samples were collected for gene transcription and expression analysis. Twenty five women who had become pregnant through assisted reproductive technology were selected as the control group, and 28 non-pregnant women receiving ovulation monitoring at the Outpatient Department were enrolled as the case group. Status of endometrial receptivity was determined by ultrasonography. In the former group, endometrial tissues were sampled for sequencing, and GO and KEGG database enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes was carried out. In the latter group, cervical secretions were collected, and amino acid and carnitine levels were measured by mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis was carried out using rank sum test, t test and chi-square test with SPSS v25.0 software. RESULTS: No difference was found in the clinical data of the patients with regard to age, body mass index, infertility years, AMH, FSH, LH, E2, and type of infertility. Compared with the receptive endometrial tissues, there were 100 significantly up-regulated genes and 191 significantly down-regulated genes in the pre-receptive endometrial tissue, with the most significantly altered ones being HLA-DRB5 and MMP10. The biological processes, molecular functions and pathways enriched by more differentially expressed genes in GO and KEGG were mainly immune regulation, cell adhesion and tryptophan metabolism. Analysis of secretion metabolism also revealed a significant difference in the levels of amino acids and carnitine metabolites between the two groups (P < 0.05), in particular those of Alanine, Valine, 3-hydroxybutyrylcarnitine (C4OH) + malonylcarnitine (C3DC)/captoylcarnitine (C10). CONCLUSION A significant difference has been discovered in the levels of gene transcription and protein expression in the endometrial tissues from the pre-receptive and receptive stages. The levels of amino acids and carnitine, such as Alanine, Valine, 3-hydroxybutyryl carnitine (C4OH)+malonyl carnitine (C3DC)/caproyl carnitine (C10), may be associated with the receptive status of the endometrium, though this need to be verified with larger samples.
Pregnancy ; Humans ; Female ; Infertility, Female/genetics* ; Endometrium/metabolism* ; Amino Acids/metabolism* ; Gene Expression ; Carnitine ; Alanine/metabolism* ; Valine/metabolism*

In addition to regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism to maintain strong bones, vitamin D also has immune regulating and anti-inflammatory effects. Moreover, it is related to chronic inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Many studies indicate the roles of vitamin D in the development and progression of endometriosis including the effects on modulation of immune responses, inflammation reactions, cell proliferation and apoptosis, angiogenesis, adhesion and invasion. Vitamin D supplementation can relieve pain and improve endometrial receptivity associated with endometriosis and play a preventive and therapeutic role. This paper summarizes the roles of vitamin D in endometriosis.
Autoimmune Diseases ; physiopathology ; Endometriosis ; physiopathology ; Endometrium ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; physiopathology ; Vitamin D ; immunology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha(HIF-1alpha) in endometriosis and explore the possible role of HIF-1alpha in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

METHODSImmunohistochemistry was performed to examine the expression of HIF-1alpha in 20 normal endometrium, 20 ectopic endometrium and 68 eutopic endometrium specimens from 68 endometriosis patients, and the results were analyzed statistically.

RESULTSThe expression of HIF-1alpha was significantly increased in ectopic endometrium than in normal endometrium (P<0.01), and the expression did not undergo changes with the normal menstrual cycle in the three types of endometrium.

CONCLUSIONHIF-1alpha expression increases in ectopic endometrium, suggesting that HIF-1alpha plays an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Adult ; Endometriosis ; genetics ; Endometrium ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; Menstrual Cycle ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDStathmin was identified as an endometriosis-related protein by comparative proteomics in our previous study. As a microtubule-destabilizing factor, stathmin was shown to participate in the relay and integration of diverse intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and many other cellular activities. To investigate whether stathmin is involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, we examined the expression of stathmin in eutopic endometrium of women with or without endometriosis.

METHODSEutopic endometrium samples were collected from thirty-six patients who were diagnosed as endometriosis and the nineteen age-matched patients who were confirmed to be free of endometriosis surgically and histologically. The expression of stathmin mRNA was detected by real-time PCR, and its protein was detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSStathmin was overexpressed in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis detected by real-time PCR in mRNA levels and by Western blotting in protein levels, without significant difference between proliferative and secretory phase. Immunohistochemistry showed that stathmin protein was localized in both endometrial glandular and stromal cells throughout the menstrual cycle.

CONCLUSIONSStathmin is overexpressed in endometrium of patients with endometriosis and may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Adult ; Blotting, Western ; Endometriosis ; metabolism ; Endometrium ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stathmin ; genetics ; metabolism