[An in vitro study on the mechanism of CA125 production of endometrial cells--comparison of eutopic and heterotopic endometrium].

Human eutopic and heterotopic endometrium were cultured and epithelial cells were isolated from stromal cells by the modified method of Satyaswaroop et al. in order to investigate the cause of elevated serum CA125 levels in patients with adenomyosis. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to analyze the relationship between cell cycle and CA125 production. 1. Microscopically, epithelial cells showed a tadpole-like appearance, while stromal cells were spindle-shaped. However, morphologically, no difference could be found between eutopic and heterotopic endometrial cells. 2. Immunocytochemical techniques (indirect enzyme immunoassay and fluorescence method) have demonstrated the presence of CA125 both on the cell membrane and in the cytoplasm of eutopic and heterotopic epithelial cells. Stromal cells were weakly stained by the fluorescence method, but not by enzyme immunoassay. 3. Double staining of CA125 and DNA was performed and analysed with FCM. Heterotopic epithelial cells produced a significantly higher amount (16 times higher) of CA125 than the eutopic epithelial cells. Stromal cells produced a small amount of CA125. These findings suggest that the elevation of serum CA125 levels in patients with adenomyosis may be due to greatly increased production of CA125 by heterotopic epithelial cells, in addition to the production of CA125 by eutopic ones.