Expression of EGFR and related proteins of EMT in endometrial tissues of patients with endometriosis and adenomyosis

Objective To investigate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor( EGFR) and the related proteins including E-cadherin,vimentin and snail of epithelial-mesenchymal transition( EMT) in endometrial tissues of patients with endometriosis and adenomyosis. Methods Immunohistochemical SP method was employed to detect the expression of EGFR,snail,E-cadherin and vimentin in 23 specimens of eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues in patients with adenomyosis( eutopic and ectopic group of adenomyosis),19 specimens of ectopic endometrial tissues in patients with endometriosis( endometriosis group) and 20 specimens of normal endometrium in patients with uterine myoma( control group). The correlation between E-cadherin and vimentin expression in the endometrial tissues of patients with endometriosis and adenomyosis( endometriosis group and ectopic group of adenomyosis) was analyzed. Results The positive rate of EGFR expression in the endometriosis group( 10. 52%) was lower than that of the control group( 40. 00%)( P 0. 05);the positive rate of snail expression in the endometrial tissue of eutopic( 56. 52%) and ectopic( 82. 61%) group of adenomyosis,endometriosis group( 78. 95%) was higher than that of the control group( 55. 00%)( all P 0. 05); the positive rate of E-cadherin expression in the endometrial tissue of endometriosis group( 15. 79%) and ectopic group of adenomyosis( 30. 43%) was lower than that of the control group( 60. 00%)( P 0. 05); and the positive rate of vimentin expression in the endometrial tissue of endometriosis group( 89. 47%) and ectopic group of adenomyosis( 86. 96%) was higher than that of the control group( 65. 00%)( all P 0. 05). The expression of E-cadherin and vimentin in the ectopic endometrial tissue( endometriosis group and ectopic group of adenomyosis) was negatively correlated( γ =- 0. 372,P 0. 05).Conclusion The expression of EGFR and E-cadherin is down-regulated while the expression of snail and vimentin is upregulated in the endometrial tissues of patients with endometriosis and adenomyosis,which indicate that the above expression changes may involve in the occurrence of edometriosis and adenomyosis.