Expression and significance of Livin and Smac in endometriosis.

Objective To study the expression of apoptosis-related Livin and Smac in the pathogenesis of endometriosis(EM). Methods Streptavidin-biotin peroxidase immunohistochemistry was employed to examine the expression of Livin and Smac in norma(ln =30),eutopic(n =34),and ectopic(n =40)endometrial tissues. Results The Livin expression showed a gradually increased tendency in normal,eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues(P 0.01),but was not correlated with the phase of menstrual cycle(P 0.05). The Smac expression had a descending trend in the three groups. The menstrual phase had no influence on Smac protein in the eutopic and ectopic endometrium of EM(P 0.05),but the Smac expression was higher in secretory phase than that in proliferative phase (P 0.05). Negative correlation was observed between the expression of Livin and Smac in the ectopic endometrium of EM (r =-0.890,P 0.01). There was no correlation between the expression of the two indexes(Livin and Smac)and the staging of EM(P 0.05). Conclusion Livin and Smac might play an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.