Characterization of human purified epithelial and stromal cells from endometrium and endometriosis in tissue culture

C J Matthews, Matthews CJ, Craig J. Matthews, C P Redfern, Redfern CP, Christopher P.F. Redfern, B H Hirst, Hirst BH, Barry H. Hirst, Thomas EJ, E J Thomas, Eric J. Thomas
Fertility and Sterility · 1992 · vol. 57(5) , pp. 990–997 · doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(16)55014-6 · PMID:1374045 · W1844996371
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 32 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This paper characterizes human epithelial and stromal cells from both healthy endometrium and endometriosis for use in tissue culture.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

ObjectiveTo initiate in vitro cultures of separate stromal and epithelial elements from endometriotic tissue and to compare the characteristics of these cells with those of cultured endometrial cells.DesignThe study involved testing the viability of a culture system for endometriotic tissue and examination of the phenotype of the cells.SettingFresh tissue samples were collected from the operating theater and transferred to the tissue culture laboratory.Patients, participantsTwenty patients undergoing laparotomy for endometriosis and patients undergoing surgery for benign conditions were recruited.InterventionsEndometrium and endometriotic tissue were separated, cultured in vitro, and labeled by indirect immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies against cytoskeletal components and epithelial mucins.Main outcome measuresEndometriotic cells have been maintained in vitro and found to resemble endometrial cells closely.ResultsWith respect to the staining patterns for cytokeratins 18 and 19, vimentin, and three different epithelial mucins, cultured cells from both endometrium and endometriotic tissue had similar properties. Cytokeratins were located in epithelial cells, and vimentin was expressed in both stromal and epithelial cells. The antimucin antibodies all gave distinct patterns of intracellular staining of epithelial cells.ConclusionsOur results indicate a close similarity between cultured stromal and epithelial cells from endometrium and endometriotic deposits. Culture of these cell populations will permit study of their properties and interactions and may provide some insight into the cause of endometriosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometrium Antigens, Neoplasm Antigens, Neoplasm Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate Culture Techniques Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Endometrium Epithelium Epithelium Epithelium Female Humans Immunohistochemistry Immunohistochemistry Intermediate Filament Proteins Intermediate Filament Proteins

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (32)

Cited by (33)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-07-26T06:08:39.051465+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:11:49.821429+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-06-02T02:00:03.124865+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK