Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in endometriosis

Objective To detect the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) in endometriosis and explore the possible role of HIF-1α in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Methods Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine the expression of HIF-1α in 20 normal endometrium, 20 ectopic endometrium and 68 eutopic endometrium specimens from 68 endometriosis patients, and the results were analyzed statistically. Results The expression of HIF-1α was significantly increased in ectopic endometrium than in normal endometrium (P0.01), and the expression did not undergo changes with the normal menstrual cycle in the three types of endometrium. Conclusion HIF-1α expression increases in ectopic endometrium, suggesting that HIF-1α plays an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.