Detection of Epo and VEGF mRNA in endometriotic tissues using hybridization in situ

AIM: To investigate the expression of mRNA of erythropoietin (Epo) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)in endometriotic tissues and its correlation with clinical biological behaviors. METHODS: Endometrium specimens were obtained from 38 endometriotic uteri and 35 normal uteri. The expression of mRNAs of Epo and VEGF in these paraffin embedded specimens was examined by in situ hybridization technique with specific cDNA probes. RESULTS: The expression of mRNA of Epo and VEGF in endometriosis was 3.08±0.48 and 2.95±0.43, respectively, which was significantly higher than those in normal endometrium ( P 0.001). The expression of Epo mRNA was closely correlated with that of VEGF mRNA ( C=0.733, P 0.001) and the expression of mRNA of Epo was closely correlated with the endometriosis' staging of American Fertility Society ( P 0.01). CONCLUSION: The increased expression of mRNA of Epo and VEGF may play some important roles in the pathogenesis of endometiosis.