Expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-3beta in human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the expression of macrophage inhibitory protein-3beta (MIP-3beta), a potential chemoattractant for endometrial natural killer (NK) cells, in the human endometrium.


METHODS
An experimental study.


METHODS
University department of obstetrics and gynecology.


METHODS
Thirty-seven fertile women with regular menstrual cycles and nonpathological endometrium, undergoing hysterectomy.


METHODS
Endometrium was obtained from operative samples.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded endometrium was immunostained to determine the localization of MIP-3beta. The number of NK cells was counted in 10 nonoverlapping stromal areas. The MIP-3beta concentration in the homogenized endometrium was determined by ELISA.


RESULTS
Immunoreactivity for MIP-3beta was observed in the surface epithelia, glandular epithelia, and stroma with some menstrual cycle-dependent fluctuation. The MIP-3beta concentration was significantly higher in the late secretory phase than in the other phases. It showed a trend toward correlation with the number of endometrial NK cells.


CONCLUSIONS
MIP-3beta was expressed in the human endometrium, but our results could not strongly support the hypothesis that MIP-3beta is a potential chemoattractant for endometrial NK cells.
Daikoku
Nobue
N
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kajii-cho 465, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan 602-8566.
Kitaya
Kotaro
K
Nakayama
Takeshi
T
Fushiki
Shinji
S
Honjo
Hideo
H
D000328:Adult; D002452:Cell Count; D054415:Chemokine CCL19; D019742:Chemokines, CC / Q000378:metabolism*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000378:metabolism*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D014018:Tissue Distribution
C515460:CCL19 protein, human; D054415:Chemokine CCL19; D019742:Chemokines, CC