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

Juan Gilabert–Estellés, J Gilabert-Estellés, A. Estellés, Estellés A, J. Gilabert, Gilabert J, R Castelló, Castelló R, Francisco España, F España, Falcó C, C. Falcó, A Romeu, Romeu A, M. Chirivella, Chirivella M, Zorio E, E Zorio, Aznar J, J Aznar
Human Reproduction · 2003 · vol. 18(7) , pp. 1516–1522 · doi:10.1093/humrep/deg300 · PMID:12832381 · W1997184060
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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 Adult Ascitic Fluid Ascitic Fluid Ascitic Fluid Cell Fractionation Cell Fractionation Cell Membrane Cell Membrane Cell Membrane Cytosol Cytosol Cytosol Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

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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. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

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