Absence of predictable long-term molecular effect of ulipristal acetate (UPA) on the endometrium

Kamila Kolańska, Justine Varinot, Geoffroy Canlorbe, Christine Bergeron, A. Mékinian, P. Capmas, Martin Koskas, Émile Daraï, S. Aractingi, Sofiane Bendifallah, Nathalie Chabbert‐Buffet
In: Reproductive BioMedicine Online · 2018 · vol. 38(5) , pp. 825–834 · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.12.013 · W2906509432
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 2 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-07-28 ⓘ

Ulipristal acetate treatment primarily exhibits a progesterone receptor antagonist effect on the endometrium, with no long-term changes observed in endometrial proliferation or maturation markers after discontinuation.

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

Abstract

Research questionWhat are the effects of ulipristal acetate (UPA) on the expression of endometrial proliferation and maturation markers?DesignA total of 45 endometrium-containing blocks of hysterectomy samples from non-menopausal women with a diagnosis of moderate to severe symptoms of uterine fibroids: 14 women operated on at the end of a 3-month course of UPA; four women who had discontinued UPA treatment 1-12 months before surgery; 27 control unexposed samples (14 in the proliferative and 13 in the secretory phase). Immunohistochemical staining of Ki67, vascular endothelial growth factor-receptor 2 (VEGFR2), oestradiol receptor, progesterone receptor, interleukin-15 (IL-15), indoleamin-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and C-C motif chemokine ligand-2 (CCL2) markers were analysed in both endometrial compartments and layers.ResultsUnder UPA, oestradiol receptor and progesterone receptor expression is similar to the proliferative phase in both layers, although with a decrease in cell proliferation. IL-15, IDO and CCL2 expressions are similar to the proliferative phase, suggesting a progesterone-antagonist effect of UPA. VEGFR2 staining suggests a trend to a mixed agonist-antagonist effect. No significant difference is observed in the post-UPA proliferative phase group compared with the control group in both layers of the endometrium.ConclusionThe effect of 3-month UPA treatment is mostly progesterone receptor antagonist-like. After treatment is discontinued, there are no signs of any long-term effects of this molecule on endometrial proliferation and maturation. Therefore, UPA may be administered to women willing to conceive in the short term without consequences for further implantation.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Citation neighborhood (sparse)

Too few in-corpus citations on either side for a chart; here are the lists.

Cites (3)

Cited by (2)

References (40)

Cited by (2)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-09-01T06:29:04.589233+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK