Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia is associated with increased polyamine oxidase and diamine oxidase concentrations in cervical mucus.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to establish whether reactive oxygen species, generated during oxidation of amines, catalyzed by polyamine oxidase (PAO) and diamine oxidase (DAO) in cervical secretions may play a role in the etiology of cervical cancer.


METHODS
Cervical mucus was obtained from women attending the gynecological outpatient department: 139 with and 154 without cytological evidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were recruited. The mucus was freeze dried in liquid nitrogen, weighed, and later resuspended for assay of PAO and DAO concentrations using a chemiluminescence method. The two groups were compared by group sequential analysis using PEST3 software.


RESULTS
Patients with a colposcopic diagnosis of a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) had significantly higher enzyme activities than control cases (L(N)PAO 1.37 (0.37) versus 1.18 (0.35): Student t test: P < 0.001; L(N)DAO 1.37 (0.36) versus 1.15 (0.37): Student t test: P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
It is probable that this rise in enzyme activity precedes cytological changes and plays some part in the etiology of cervical cancer, as the cells that undergo premalignant change are normally squamous in origin, whereas mucus is a product of columnar epithelium. Higher enzyme activity in patients with SIL than in controls may be a reflection of higher risk of exposure to amine substrates in semen through multiple sexual partners.
Rogers
M S
MS
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR. msrogers@cuhk.edu.hk
Yim
S F
SF
Li
K C
KC
Wang
C C
CC
Arumanayagam
M
M
D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing) / Q000378:metabolism*; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors / Q000378:metabolism*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000201:enzymology*; D000097667:Polyamine Oxidase
D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing); D000587:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-NH Group Donors; D000097667:Polyamine Oxidase