Reduced expression of alphavbeta3 integrin in the endometrium of unexplained infertility patients with recurrent IVF-ET failures: improvement by danazol treatment.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there is any association between the expression of endometrial integrin alphavbeta3 and repeated IVF-ET failure and to examine the effect of danazol treatment on alphavbeta3 expression.


METHODS
This prospective study was performed using a semiquantitative immunohistochemical analysis on the staining intensity of alphavbeta3 in the mid-secretory endometria derived from 10 fertile women and 57 infertile patients with a history of repeated IVF-ET failures. Nine patients randomly selected from these 22 patients with unexplained infertility were then treated with oral danazol administration for 12 weeks and reexamined at the first mid-secretory phase after the danazol treatment.


RESULTS
The levels of endometrial alphavbeta3 expression were lower in 22 patients with unexplained infertility than in the fertile control and 35 patients with explained infertility. The 9 patients treated with danazol showed a significant increase in the alphavbeta3 staining.


CONCLUSIONS
The significantly decreased expression of endometrial integrin alphavbeta3 suggested that functional, but not morphological, endometrial defect may be one of the causes for the patients with unexplained infertility. Danazol may have a therapeutic potential in improving endometrial function together with up-regulation of alphavbeta3.
Tei
Chisei
C
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan. tei.chisei@pep.ne.jp
Maruyama
Tetsuo
T
Kuji
Naoaki
N
Miyazaki
Toyohiko
T
Mikami
Mikio
M
Yoshimura
Yasunori
Y
D003613:Danazol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D039302:Integrin alphaVbeta3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D039302:Integrin alphaVbeta3; D003613:Danazol