Expression of several components of the plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinase systems in endometriosis

Juan Gilabert–Estellés, J Gilabert-Estellés, A Estellés, J Gilabert, R Castelló, F España, C Falcó, A Romeu, M Chirivella, E Zorio, J Aznar
Human Reproduction · 2003 · vol. 18(7) , pp. 1516–1522 · doi:10.1093/humrep/deg300 · PMID:12832381 · W1997184060
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 68 in-corpus citations
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Endometriotic tissue and eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis showed elevated levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator and matrix metalloproteinase-3, while ovarian endometriotic cysts had increased inhibitors.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is considered a benign disease that has the ability to invade normal tissue. As in neoplastic growth, local extracellular proteolysis may take place. The aim of this study is to analyse several components of the plasminogen activator (PA) pathway and the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) system in endometriotic tissue, endometrium and peritoneal fluid from women with and without endometriosis (controls). METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-nine women with endometriosis and 35 controls were studied. In eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis, the antigenic levels of urokinase-type PA (uPA) and MMP-3 were elevated when compared with endometrium from controls. Ovarian endometriotic tissues had higher antigenic levels of PA inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases type 1 (TIMP-1) than endometrium. The peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis showed a significant increase in uPA levels compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in antigenic levels of uPA and MMP-3 in endometrium of women with endometriosis might contribute to the invasive potential of endometrial cells. Once the ovarian endometriotic cyst is developed, an increase in PAI-1 and TIMP-1 is detected and significant proteolytic activity is no longer observed. This increase in inhibitors and decrease in proteolytic activity could explain the frequent clinical finding of isolated endometriotic cyst without invasion of the surrounding ovarian tissue.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometrium Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Adult Ascitic Fluid Ascitic Fluid Cell Fractionation Cell Membrane Cell Membrane Cytosol Cytosol Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Endometrium Female Humans Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 Middle Aged

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