Expression of GnRH receptor gene in human ectopic endometrial cells and inhibition of their proliferation by leuprolide acetate

R Borroni, Raffaella Borroni, Borroni R, Anna Maria Di Blasio, Di Blasio AM, A. M. Di Blasio, B Gaffuri, Barbara Gaffuri, Gaffuri B, R Santorsola, Santorsola R, Roberta Santorsola, M Busacca, Busacca M, Mauro Busacca, P Viganò, Paola Viganò, M. Vignali, Mario Vignali, Vignali M
Molecular and cellular endocrinology · 2000 · vol. 159(1-2) , pp. 37–43 · doi:10.1016/s0303-7207(99)00199-9 · PMID:10687850 · W2064264164
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This study investigated the presence of the GnRH receptor gene in human ectopic endometrial cells and demonstrated that leuprolide acetate inhibits their proliferation.

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Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate whether GnRH-receptor (GnRH-R) gene is expressed in endometriosis ovarian implants and whether a GnRH-analogue (GnRH-a) may exert an effect on endometriosis cell proliferation in vitro. The presence of GnRH-R transcripts in ovarian endometriosis cells was assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and further confirmed by Southern blot analysis. GnRH-R mRNA was detected in all the 13 samples examined. In contrast, GnRH-R transcripts were not detectable in endometriosis-free peritoneal tissue. In the second part of the study, endometriosis cells were cultured for 9 days with different doses of leuprolide acetate (ranging from 0 to 10(-5) M). In 4 out of 13 cases, a significant anti-proliferative effect was observed at doses of leuprolide acetate ranging from 10(-9) to 10(-5) M. In one case, a significant inhibition of cell proliferation was observed only at 10(-5) M leuprolide acetate concentration. In contrast, the GnRH-a did not affect cell growth, regardless of the expression of GnRH-R transcripts and the given doses, in the remaining 8 experiments. To date, this is the first evidence indicating that GnRH-R mRNA is expressed in human ovarian endometriomas. Moreover, the inhibition of endometriosis cell proliferation induced by the GnRH-a in vitro suggests that, at least in some cases, this compound might exert a direct effect on endometriosis lesions.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Leuprolide Receptors, LHRH Adult Base Sequence Cell Division Cell Division DNA Probes DNA Probes Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Gene Expression Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Humans In Vitro Techniques Leuprolide Ovarian Diseases

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