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Gnecco JS, Brown A, Buttrey K, Ives C, Goods BA, Baugh L, Hernandez-Gordillo V, Loring M, Isaacson KB, Griffith LG. Organoid co-culture model of the human endometrium in a fully synthetic extracellular matrix enables the study of epithelial-stromal crosstalk. MED 2023; 4:554-579.e9. [PMID: 37572651 PMCID: PMC10878405 DOI: 10.1016/j.medj.2023.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human endometrium undergoes recurring cycles of growth, differentiation, and breakdown in response to sex hormones. Dysregulation of epithelial-stromal communication during hormone-mediated signaling may be linked to myriad gynecological disorders for which treatments remain inadequate. Here, we describe a completely defined, synthetic extracellular matrix that enables co-culture of human endometrial epithelial and stromal cells in a manner that captures healthy and disease states across a simulated menstrual cycle. METHODS We parsed cycle-dependent endometrial integrin expression and matrix composition to define candidate cell-matrix interaction cues for inclusion in a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogel crosslinked with matrix metalloproteinase-labile peptides. We semi-empirically screened a parameter space of biophysical and molecular features representative of the endometrium to define compositions suitable for hormone-driven expansion and differentiation of epithelial organoids, stromal cells, and co-cultures of the two cell types. FINDINGS Each cell type exhibited characteristic morphological and molecular responses to hormone changes when co-encapsulated in hydrogels tuned to a stiffness regime similar to the native tissue and functionalized with a collagen-derived adhesion peptide (GFOGER) and a fibronectin-derived peptide (PHSRN-K-RGD). Analysis of cell-cell crosstalk during interleukin 1B (IL1B)-induced inflammation revealed dysregulation of epithelial proliferation mediated by stromal cells. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, we demonstrate the development of a fully synthetic matrix to sustain the dynamic changes of the endometrial microenvironment and support its applications to understand menstrual health and endometriotic diseases. FUNDING This work was supported by The John and Karine Begg Foundation, the Manton Foundation, and NIH U01 (EB029132).
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan S Gnecco
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby Street, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Alexander Brown
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kira Buttrey
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Clara Ives
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Brittany A Goods
- Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, 15 Thayer Drive, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Lauren Baugh
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Victor Hernandez-Gordillo
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Megan Loring
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Newton Wellesley Hospital, 2014 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02115, USA
| | - Keith B Isaacson
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Newton Wellesley Hospital, 2014 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02115, USA
| | - Linda G Griffith
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Lin SC, Lee HC, Hsu CT, Huang YH, Li WN, Hsu PL, Wu MH, Tsai SJ. Targeting Anthrax Toxin Receptor 2 Ameliorates Endometriosis Progression. Theranostics 2019; 9:620-632. [PMID: 30809297 PMCID: PMC6376465 DOI: 10.7150/thno.30655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Endometriosis is a highly prevalent gynecological disease in women of reproductive age that markedly reduces life quality and fertility. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease, which highlights that more efforts are needed to investigate the underlying mechanism for designing novel therapeutic regimens. This study aims to investigate druggable membrane receptors distinctively expressed in endometriotic cells. Methods: Bioinformatic analysis of public databases was employed to identify potential druggable candidates. Normal endometrial tissues and ectopic endometriotic lesions were obtained for the determination of target genes. Primary endometrial and endometriotic stromal cells as well as two different mouse models of endometriosis were used to characterize molecular mechanisms and therapeutic outcomes of endometriosis, respectively. Results: Anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2) mRNA and protein are upregulated in the endometriotic specimens. Elevation of ANTXR2 promotes endometriotic cell adhesion, proliferation, and angiogenesis. Furthermore, hypoxia is the driving force for ANTXR2 upregulation via altering histone modification of ANTXR2 promoter by reducing the repressive mark, histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) trimethylation, and increasing the active mark, H3K4 trimethylation. Activation of ANTXR2 signaling leads to increased Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity, which contributes to numerous pathological processes of endometriosis. Pharmacological blocking of ANTXR2 signaling not only prevents endometriotic lesion development but also causes the regression of established lesion. Conclusion: Taken together, we have identified a novel target that contributes to the disease pathogenesis of endometriosis and provided a potential therapeutic regimen to treat it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Chieh Lin
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Chi Lee
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Ting Hsu
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Han Huang
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Ning Li
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Ling Hsu
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Hsing Wu
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University and Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Shaw-Jenq Tsai
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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Choi HJ, Park MJ, Kim BS, Choi HJ, Joo B, Lee KS, Choi JH, Chung TW, Ha KT. Transforming growth factor β1 enhances adhesion of endometrial cells to mesothelium by regulating integrin expression. BMB Rep 2018; 50:429-434. [PMID: 28760197 PMCID: PMC5595173 DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2017.50.8.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is the abnormal growth of endometrial cells outside the uterus, causing pelvic pain and infertility. Furthermore, adhesion of endometrial tissue fragments to pelvic mesothelium is required for the initial step of endometriosis formation outside uterus. TGF-β1 and adhesion molecules importantly function for adhesion of endometrial tissue fragments to mesothelium outside uterus. However, the function of TGF-β1 on the regulation of adhesion molecule expression for adhesion of endometrial tissue fragments to mesothelium has not been fully elucidated. Interestingly, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) expression was higher in endome-triotic epithelial cells than in normal endometrial cells. The adhesion efficiency of endometriotic epithelial cells to meso-thelial cells was also higher than that of normal endometrial cells. Moreover, TGF-β1 directly induced the adhesion of endometrial cells to mesothelial cells through the regulation of integrin of αV, α6, β1, and β4 via the activation of the TGF-β1/TGF-βRI/Smad2 signaling pathway. Conversely, the adhesion of TGF-β1-stimulated endometrial cells to mesothelial cells was clearly reduced following treatment with neutralizing antibodies against specific TGF-β1-mediated integrins αV, β1, and β4 on the endometrial cell membrane. Taken together, these results suggest that TGF-β1 may act to promote the initiation of endometriosis by enhancing integrin-mediated cell-cell adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee-Jung Choi
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine and Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
| | - Mi-Ju Park
- Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
| | - Bo-Sung Kim
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center and Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy-aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
| | - Hee-Jin Choi
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center and Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy-aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
| | - Bosun Joo
- Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
| | - Kyu Sup Lee
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan 49241, Korea
| | - Jung-Hye Choi
- Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Oriental Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Korea
| | - Tae-Wook Chung
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine and Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
| | - Ki-Tae Ha
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Healthy Aging Korean Medical Research Center and Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy-aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
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Gupta D, Hull ML, Fraser I, Miller L, Bossuyt PMM, Johnson N, Nisenblat V. Endometrial biomarkers for the non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016; 4:CD012165. [PMID: 27094925 PMCID: PMC6953323 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd012165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND About 10% of reproductive-aged women suffer from endometriosis, which is a costly, chronic disease that causes pelvic pain and subfertility. Laparoscopy is the gold standard diagnostic test for endometriosis, but it is expensive and carries surgical risks. Currently, there are no non-invasive tests available in clinical practice that accurately diagnose endometriosis. This is the first diagnostic test accuracy review of endometrial biomarkers for endometriosis that utilises Cochrane methodologies, providing an update on the rapidly expanding literature in this field. OBJECTIVES To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the endometrial biomarkers for pelvic endometriosis, using a surgical diagnosis as the reference standard. We evaluated the tests as replacement tests for diagnostic surgery and as triage tests to inform decisions to undertake surgery for endometriosis. SEARCH METHODS We did not restrict the searches to particular study designs, language or publication dates. To identify trials, we searched the following databases: CENTRAL (2015, July), MEDLINE (inception to May 2015), EMBASE (inception to May 2015), CINAHL (inception to April 2015), PsycINFO (inception to April 2015), Web of Science (inception to April 2015), LILACS (inception to April 2015), OAIster (inception to April 2015), TRIP (inception to April 2015) and ClinicalTrials.gov (inception to April 2015). We searched DARE and PubMed databases up to April 2015 to identify reviews and guidelines as sources of references to potentially relevant studies. We also performed searches for papers recently published and not yet indexed in the major databases. The search strategies incorporated words in the title, abstract, text words across the record and the medical subject headings (MeSH). SELECTION CRITERIA We considered published peer-reviewed, randomised controlled or cross-sectional studies of any size that included prospectively collected samples from any population of reproductive-aged women suspected of having one or more of the following target conditions: ovarian, peritoneal or deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently extracted data from each study and performed a quality assessment. For each endometrial diagnostic test, we classified the data as positive or negative for the surgical detection of endometriosis and calculated the estimates of sensitivity and specificity. We considered two or more tests evaluated in the same cohort as separate data sets. We used the bivariate model to obtain pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity whenever sufficient data were available. The predetermined criteria for a clinically useful test to replace diagnostic surgery was one with a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 79%. The criteria for triage tests were set at sensitivity at or above 95% and specificity at or above 50%, which in case of negative results rules out the diagnosis (SnOUT test) or sensitivity at or above 50% with specificity at or above 95%, which in case of positive result rules in the diagnosis (SpIN test). MAIN RESULTS We included 54 studies involving 2729 participants, most of which were of poor methodological quality. The studies evaluated endometrial biomarkers either in specific phases of the menstrual cycle or outside of it, and the studies tested the biomarkers either in menstrual fluid, in whole endometrial tissue or in separate endometrial components. Twenty-seven studies evaluated the diagnostic performance of 22 endometrial biomarkers for endometriosis. These were angiogenesis and growth factors (PROK-1), cell-adhesion molecules (integrins α3β1, α4β1, β1 and α6), DNA-repair molecules (hTERT), endometrial and mitochondrial proteome, hormonal markers (CYP19, 17βHSD2, ER-α, ER-β), inflammatory markers (IL-1R2), myogenic markers (caldesmon, CALD-1), neural markers (PGP 9.5, VIP, CGRP, SP, NPY, NF) and tumour markers (CA-125). Most of these biomarkers were assessed in single studies, whilst only data for PGP 9.5 and CYP19 were available for meta-analysis. These two biomarkers demonstrated significant diversity for the diagnostic estimates between the studies; however, the data were too limited to reliably determine the sources of heterogeneity. The mean sensitivities and specificities of PGP 9.5 (7 studies, 361 women) were 0.96 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.91 to 1.00) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.70 to 1.00), after excluding one outlier study, and for CYP19 (8 studies, 444 women), they were were 0.77 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.85) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.65 to 84), respectively. We could not statistically evaluate other biomarkers in a meaningful way. An additional 31 studies evaluated 77 biomarkers that showed no evidence of differences in expression levels between the groups of women with and without endometriosis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS We could not statistically evaluate most of the biomarkers assessed in this review in a meaningful way. In view of the low quality of most of the included studies, the findings of this review should be interpreted with caution. Although PGP 9.5 met the criteria for a replacement test, it demonstrated considerable inter study heterogeneity in diagnostic estimates, the source of which could not be determined. Several endometrial biomarkers, such as endometrial proteome, 17βHSD2, IL-1R2, caldesmon and other neural markers (VIP, CGRP, SP, NPY and combination of VIP, PGP 9.5 and SP) showed promising evidence of diagnostic accuracy, but there was insufficient or poor quality evidence for any clinical recommendations. Laparoscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of endometriosis, and using any non-invasive tests should only be undertaken in a research setting. We have also identified a number of biomarkers that demonstrated no diagnostic value for endometriosis. We recommend that researchers direct future studies towards biomarkers with high diagnostic potential in good quality diagnostic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M Louise Hull
- The University of AdelaideDiscipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Robinson Research InstituteKing William RoadAdelaideSouth AustrailaAustralia
| | - Ian Fraser
- University of New South WalesSchool of Women's and Children's Health, Royal Hospital for WomenBarker StSydneyNSWAustralia2131
| | - Laura Miller
- Fertility PlusDepartment of Obstetrics and GynaecologyAuckland District Health BoardAucklandNew Zealand1142
| | - Patrick MM Bossuyt
- Academic Medical Center, University of AmsterdamDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and BioinformaticsRoom J1b‐217, PO Box 22700AmsterdamNetherlands1100 DE
| | - Neil Johnson
- The University of AdelaideDiscipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Robinson Research InstituteKing William RoadAdelaideSouth AustrailaAustralia
| | - Vicki Nisenblat
- The University of AdelaideDiscipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Robinson Research InstituteKing William RoadAdelaideSouth AustrailaAustralia
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May K, Villar J, Kirtley S, Kennedy S, Becker C. Endometrial alterations in endometriosis: a systematic review of putative biomarkers. Hum Reprod Update 2011; 17:637-53. [DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmr013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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Paupoo AAV, Zhu ZB, Wang M, Rein DT, Starzinski-Powitz A, Curiel DT. A conditionally replicative adenovirus, CRAd-S-pK7, can target endometriosis with a cell-killing effect. Hum Reprod 2010; 25:2068-83. [PMID: 20573677 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deq137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Novel therapeutic approaches for endometriosis based on molecular strategies may prove to be useful. Conditionally replicative adenoviruses (CRAds) are designed to exploit key differences between target and normal cells. The wild-type adenovirus (Adwt) promoter can be replaced by tissue-specific promoters, allowing viral replication only in target cells. Viral infectivity can be enhanced by altering Ad tropism via fiber modification. We investigated whether CRAds can be used to target endometriosis and determined the most efficient transcriptional- and transductional-targeting strategy. METHODS An in vitro study was carried out using human endometriotic cell lines, 11Z (epithelial) and 22B (stromal), normal human ovarian surface epithelial cell line (NOSE006) and primary human endometriosis cells. A total of 9 promoters and 12 Ad tropism modifications were screened by means of a luciferase reporter assay. From this screening data, three CRAds (CRAd-S-pK7, CRAd-S-RGD, CRAd-S-F5/3sigma1, all incorporating the survivin promoter but with different fiber modifications) were selected to perform experiments using Adwt and a replication-deficient virus as controls. CRAds were constructed using a plasmid recombination system. Viral-binding capacity, rates of entry and DNA replication were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR of viral genome copy. Cell-killing effects were determined by crystal violet staining and a cell viability assay for different concentrations of viral particles per cell. RESULTS Comparison of promoters demonstrated that the survivin promoter exhibited the highest induction in both endometriotic cell lines. Among the fiber-modified viruses, the polylysine modification (pK7) showed the best infection enhancement. CRAd-S-pK7 was validated as the optimal CRAd to target endometriosis in terms of binding ability, entry kinetics, DNA replication and cell-killing effect. CRAd-S-pK7 also exhibited a high level of DNA replication in primary endometriosis cells. CONCLUSIONS CRAd-S-pK7 has the best infection and cell-killing effect in the context of endometriosis. It could prove to be a useful novel method to target refractory cases of endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A V Paupoo
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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Abstract
The alpha(v)beta(6) integrin (alphavbeta6) has been shown to be up-regulated in adenocarcinoma of the breast, colon, stomach, and ovary, generally reflecting a more aggressive phenotype. Expression in endometrial cancer has not been reported. We analyzed alphavbeta6 expression in the tissue from primary endometrial carcinomas (endometrioid type) using a mouse monoclonal antibody against human alphavbeta6, and correlated the findings with grade, stage, and nodal involvement. Normal cycling endometrium was studied for comparison. alphavbeta6 was only weakly expressed in normal epithelium and infrequently expressed in precancers, but up-regulated in the majority of endometrial carcinomas, especially with high grade. Nodal metastases strongly expressed alphavbeta6, even when the primary tumor showed only focal expression. No correlation was found between expression and depth of invasion or the presence of metastases. Overexpression of alphavbeta6 in endometrial carcinoma is common. Expression is high in metastatic lesions. The level of expression of the primary tumor was not indicative of the presence of nodal metastasis; however, the number of cases with nodal metastases was limited.
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Othman EER, Zhu ZB, Curiel DT, Khatoon N, Salem HT, Khalifa EADM, Al-Hendy A. Toward gene therapy of endometriosis: transductional and transcriptional targeting of adenoviral vectors to endometriosis cells. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008; 199:117.e1-6. [PMID: 18674655 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2007] [Revised: 10/24/2007] [Accepted: 01/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to screen a panel of targeted adenoviruses as vectors for endometriosis gene therapy. STUDY DESIGN Endometriotic cells were obtained from subjects with ovarian endometriomas. Liver tissues were taken from donors during hepatic transplantation surgery. Human endometriotic cells and liver tissues were transfected by targeted adenoviruses expressing luciferase reporter gene. Luciferase activity that was mediated by each virus was expressed as a percentage of adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5-CMV-luc) activity. The 2-tailed Studentt test was used to compare the adenovirus data. RESULTS In endometriotic cells, the adenovirus-RGD (Ad-RGD-luc), adenovirus under secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor promoter (Ad-SLPI-luc), and adenovirus under heparanase promoter (Ad-heparanase-luc) showed significantly higher activity, compared with the adenovirus serotype 5. In liver tissues, adenovirus-survivin (Ad-survivin-luc) and Ad-heparanase-luc had significantly lower activity, compared with adenovirus serotype 5. CONCLUSION Ad-heparanase-luc showed "endometriosis on, liver off" phenotype and is a promising vector for endometriosis gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Essam-Eldin R Othman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
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Lyons RA, Saridogan E, Djahanbakhch O. The reproductive significance of human Fallopian tube cilia. Hum Reprod Update 2006; 12:363-72. [PMID: 16565155 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dml012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 263] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective tubal transport of ova, sperm and embryos is a prerequisite for successful spontaneous pregnancy. Although there is much yet to be discovered about the mechanisms involved, it is evident that tubal transit is a far more complicated process than initially thought. Propulsion of gametes and embryos is achieved by complex interaction between muscle contractions, ciliary activity and the flow of tubal secretions. Evidence is accumulating of the important and possibly pre-eminent role of ciliary motion in this process; and this review describes current knowledge about ciliary activity and its physiological regulation. There is also a description of the effects on ciliary function of cigarette smoking and various pathological states, including endometriosis and microbial infection, with consideration given as to how altered ciliary activity may impact upon fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Lyons
- Academic Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospital School of Medicine and Dentistry, Whitechapel, London E1 1BB, UK
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The interaction between spermatozoa and the epithelium of the isthmic region of the uterine tube is thought to be an important part of the mechanisms of sperm transport to the site of fertilization and in preparing them for fertilization. However, it is unclear whether a dysfunction of this mechanism may contribute to subfertility in some individuals. METHODS The sperm-binding characteristics of the epithelium from the uterine tubes of three groups of women were examined: (i) eight with pelvic endometriosis (not involving the uterine tubes); (ii) five women who had been receiving zoladex injections to control their symptoms; and (iii) as controls 10 women undergoing an elective procedure for benign gynaecological problems but with no other pathology of the reproductive tract. RESULTS Significantly more spermatozoa bound per unit area to the ampullary epithelium of the uterine tubes taken from women with a previous diagnosis of endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the characteristics of sperm binding to tubal epithelium may be disrupted in women with a gynaecological pathology such as endometriosis. It is suggested that this may have the potential to interfere with the availability of freely motile spermatozoa, of the appropriate physiological status, to take part in fertilization. This may be a newly described mechanism by which endometriosis can cause infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Reeve
- Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, Level 4, The Jessop Wing, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2SF, UK
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